Doctor to be released on $4.5 million bond ahead of female genital mutilation trial

(WJBK) - A Michigan doctor who's accused of performing genital mutilation surgery on girls will be released from federal custody on a $4.5 million unsecured bond with strict conditions. Dr. Jumana Nagarwala is currently awaiting trial on female genital mutilation charges.

The bond is believed to be the largest ever set in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan and carries strict conditions governing her release.

If Dr. Nagarwala violates the terms of her bond or fails to appear for court, she and her husband would face the forfeiture of their Northville home. Seventeen individuals who are guaranteeing her bond would be required to satisfy the remainder of the $4.5 million if she fails to comply with the terms of her release.

Dr. Nagarwala will remain in custody until the terms of the bond are finalized.

She's accused of cutting at least six girls at a clinic in suburban Detroit, including two girls from Minnesota. The doctor denies that she committed a crime and says she performed a religious custom from her Muslim sect, the India-based Dawoodi Bohra.

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Nagarwala's attorney, Shannon Smith, said the doctor intends to the fight the charges and that she wouldn't run.

"It's a fight about a sacred religious practice," she said.

Two other people, Dr. Fakhruddin Attar and Farida Attar, have been charged in this case, the first U.S. case of its kind.

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The government says the alleged acts occurred at Dr. Attar's clinic with his approval. Farida Attar is accused of assisting Nagarwala.

The Attars and Nagarwala belong to a Muslim sect called Dawoodi Bohra. They deny the charges and say a religious ritual was performed.