Federal agents arrested Dr. Fakhruddin Attar, 53, and his wife Friday after allegations arose of them assisting with arrangements for the Genital Mutilation of two Young Girls. This follows the arrest last week of Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, a Detroit emergency room physician, who was charged with carrying out the procedure on the two, seven-year-old girls. According to Federal prosecutors, Attar had offered the use of his medical clinic to Nagarwala.

Michigan doctor actively involved in planning genital mutilation of the girls

Friday saw prosecutors revealing new details of the genital mutilation case and how the procedures were arranged. The complaint stated that Attar had received and made over 50 phone calls with a Minnesota telephone number in the months leading up to February 3. On that day, surveillance cameras captured images of Dr. Attar, his wife, and Dr. Nagarwala as they arrived at the Burhani Medical Clinic, located in Livonia, Mi. A woman was seen to enter the clinic with a young girl at 6:25 p.m., followed 20 minutes later by Attar and his wife.

Shortly after this, another woman and the second girl were seen entering the clinic.

Girls were told they were going on a ‘special trip’

One of the girls told investigators they were told they were going on a “special girls’ trip” to Detroit from Minnesota. She added that after they arrived at a hotel, both girls were taken to the clinic to “get the germs out,” reportedly because their stomachs hurt. Reportedly both of the girls were told to keep the treatment a secret.

One of the girls told prosecutors that she was handed a pad to place in her underwear, while the second girl said that following the procedure she found it hard to walk and was experiencing pain. Investigators say the girl’s parents told them they took their young girl to Nagarwala in order to have a “cleansing” of extra skin.

Doctor claims he treats problems with girls' genitals

According to Attar, he opens his clinic after hours around five or six times each year, on either Friday evenings or Saturdays, to see girls between 6 and 9 years for treatment of “problems with their genitals.” According to Attar, his 50-year-old wife, Farida Attar, is the clinic’s officer manager and that she stays with the children in the examining room to hold their hands. Since that time, investigators have identified multiple other girls in Michigan who may have experienced genital mutilation procedures performed by Nagarwala at Attar’s medical clinic since 2005.

The FBI reportedly intercepted a call, where Farida Attar told one of the parents that when speaking to authorities they should deny that the procedures were being performed on their daughter.

A report by the Detroit Free Press quotes Shannon Smith, Nagarwala’s attorney, as saying the doctor had removed the membrane from the girls’ genitals as part of a traditional custom practiced by an Indian Muslim sect known as the Dawoodi Bohra.

Dawoodi Bohra community condemns genital mutilation

Reportedly Bohra clergy has banned the practice of genital mutilation of young girls. A representative for the Detroit Dawoodi Bohra community said on Friday that they take their religion seriously, but these days their culture is a modern one. The statement went on to say the community is proud that their women these days have a high level of education and are following successful, professional careers.

According to a report by the LA Times, international health authorities estimate that female genital mutilation practices have affected over 200 million girls worldwide. The practice is mostly performed on girls from infancy to the age of 15 and is intended to reduce sexual pleasure and promiscuity and to prepare the girl for marriage.