Physician wrongfully arrested and monitored for 19 days due to identity error

A 27-year-old physician from Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, was wrongfully arrested and forced to wear an electronic ankle monitor for 19 days due to a case of mistaken identity.

The error occurred on August 4 at the Campo Grande International Airport when the doctor, returning from vacation with her husband and six-month-old daughter, was approached by Federal Police agents. Despite her claims that there had been a mistake, she was detained and spent two nights in custody. Following a custody hearing, she was released but required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

The Public Defender's Office investigated the matter and discovered that the confusion stemmed from a homonym. While the physician and the individual named in the criminal proceedings shared the same name, Ana Paula Nunes dos Santos possesses a different CPF, birth year (1999), and parental information. The physician had no prior knowledge of the legal proceedings and had never been summoned or presented a defense in the case.