DUBAI // Family and friends are awaiting police clearance to retrieve the bodies of an Indian family who died in tragic circumstances this month.

Police say Indian film producer Santosh Kumar suffocated his daughter Gauri, 9, with a pillow before he and his wife Manju Menon slit their wrists.

Financial problems and bounced cheques were behind the tragedy, police said.

Relatives of the family have been told that the official paperwork is being processed, but the complexity of the case has led to delays.

Two weeks ago, officers broke into the Kumars’ Dubai flat and found their three bodies. Family and friends had alerted police because they had not seen the family since July 8.

Police filed the case as suicide after finding a suicide note written by Kumar.

Relatives had hoped they would complete the cremation over the weekend but have resigned themselves to waiting another 10 days because of the Eid Al Fitr break this week.

“The family has been told this is the normal process and since this a complicated case, a lot of papers need to be processed,” a relative said.

“They needed time for the investigations, so the family is waiting for the police papers.”

Maj Gen Khalil Al Mansouri, head of Dubai Police CID, earlier said the department was working to finalise procedures and hand over the bodies to their family.

Relatives have decided to hold the cremation in the UAE instead of taking the bodies back to India.

Kumar’s brother was in Dubai this week from Oman hoping to complete the formalities.

After the police clearance report, the Indian consulate will register the deaths, cancel the passports and the bodies will be released for cremation.

“We will have to wait some more days until the paper comes through,” the relative said.