Mistaken identity: A ‘horror’ story

If this happened to you, would an apology be enough?

A female executive of a cigarette company filed a complaint against law enforcers from the Western Police District (WPD) who verbally abused and manhandled her when they mistook her car for that of a known drug pusher.

Maria Isabel Samaniego, 32, lodged the complaint with the People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB), which has the power to impose sanctions on erring Manila law enforcers, against members of the Delta Team of WPD’s Drug Enforcement Group – Senior Police Officer 2 Nestor Bustamante, the team leader, PO2 Redentor delos Santos, PO2 Emmanuel Bautista and PO1 Bernardito David.

Samaniego told reporters she was a still trying to determine the names of the other policemen involved in the operation.

She said that though she was scared that these policemen will go after her for filing a complaint, she had to do it to prevent the abuse from happening to someone else.

"I thought they were carnappers. My dentures got broken because of the way they handled me as they pulled me and transferred me to another car. I also could not control peeing in my pants because of fear and shock with what was happening to me," a teary-eyed Samaniego recounted to reporters.

According to her, the company issued Toyota Corolla car she was driving, with license plate WMN 975, was mistaken to be the vehicle of a certain Nene Estrella, a known drug pusher in Tondo.

Samaniego claimed the police apparently got an information that Estrella was to deliver shabu at that time using a car with plate number WMN 975.

"They said they made a mistake with the license plate," she said.

The complainant said that as she was on her way to work at about 6:30 a.m. the other day, her car was suddenly intercepted by another vehicle and was bumped by another car coming from the rear side when she tried to avoid the first one by driving backward.

Samaniego said several men in civilian attire approached her and one of them immediately poked a gun on her face as she opened her car window to ask who they were.

The men then started to curse and threaten to kill her and one of them got inside her vehicle and sat on her lap to maneuver, she added.

The complainant said the men never bothered to introduce themselves or listen to her plea for them to just take the car if they wanted it.

"I was crying and begging them to let me go but still they kept on cursing me and pushing me inside their car as well as we moved around Manila," she said.

Samaniego said the men were asking her to stop saying anything and just answer their question as to how many kilos of shabu she was carrying.

Without a warrant, Samaniego noted the trunk of her car was searched for illegal drugs.

But as they reached the WPD headquarters on United Nations avenue in Manila, Samaniego said she was cleared and was even asked to sign a waiver to ensure that she will not get back at them.

She refused to sign the waiver and later got a call from a certain Col. Pedrozo asking an apology for the mistake.