DETROIT – A Detroit-area doctor at the center of a female genital mutilation investigation is asking a judge to release her from jail while she awaits trial.
Dr. Jumana Nagarwala has been in custody since her arrest in April. In a court filing Friday, her lawyer says Nagarwala isn't a risk to the public and won't flee. Authorities have her passport.
Shannon Smith says house arrest with electronic monitoring would be enough. Federal Judge Bernard Friedman has released two other people, including the owner of a clinic where the alleged crimes occurred.
Nagarwala is accused of cutting at least six girls at a clinic in suburban Detroit. She denies the charges. Smith says Nagarwala performed a "religious rite of passage that is sacred" to a Muslim sect, the Dawoodi Bohra.
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