US: India-born doctor, wife arrested for female genital mutilation probe

New York: An India-born doctor and his wife were arrested and charged on Saturday for allegedly helping another Indian-origin doctor perform genital mutilations, a procedure that is criminalised in the United States, on minor girls.

Fakhruddin Attar, 53, and his wife, Farida Attar, 50, both of Michigan state were charged with conspiring to perform female genital mutilations (FGM) on minor girls out of Fakhruddin Attar's medical clinic in Livonia.

The Attars were arrested this morning. The charges come a week after Indian-origin doctor Jumana Nagarwala, 44, of Michigan, was charged with performing FGM on minor girls.

Ms Nagarwala and the Attars are believed to be the first people charged under federal US law, which criminalises FGM.

According to an online physician directory, Fakhruddin graduated from the Baroda Medical College in Gujarat, India in 1988.

The charges say that Ms Nagarwala used to perform the medical procedure on minor girls at Burhani Medical Clinic (BMC) in Michigan that was owned and operated by Fakhruddin. Fakhruddin's wife was employed at BMC as an officer



manager.

The compliant against the Attars said that the couple arranged and assisted in the female genital mutilation of minor females performed by Nagarwala. While they allowed their clinic to be used by Nagarwala to perform the procedures, Farida assisted Ms Nagarwala during the female genital mutilation procedures.

Fakhruddin told federal agents this month that he has known Ms Nagarwala and she occasionally saw patients at his clinic even though she was not employed there.

He said Ms Nagarwala only saw the patients at BMC when the clinic was closed and that Farida used to be present in the examining room while Ms Nagarwala treated the minor girls.

The investigation revealed that several minor girls informed forensic personnel that Ms Nagarwala had performed procedures on their genitals and one minor girl said Farida had been present when Ms Nagarwala did the FGM procedures.

According to the complaint, some of the minor victims travelled interstate to have the procedure performed. The complaint alleges that the FGM procedure was performed on girls who were approximately six to eight years old.