QCPD detainee dies due to leptospirosis complications

A detainee under the custody of the Quezon City police died on Sunday, reportedly because of complications due to leptospirosis.

Mhel Pardilla, 30, had stayed for only about 24 hours in the cramped lockup cell of the Quezon City Police District’s Masambong Station when he was rushed to the hospital after complaining of stomach pain.

According to police records, Pardilla was arrested on the afternoon of July 31, along with two others, in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa for playing cara y cruz, an illegal coin gambling game.

The following day, police rushed him to the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI), after he had difficulty breathing and felt pains in his stomach.

Supt. Rodrigo Soriano, Masambong Station commander, said the police thought that Pardilla was suffering from a kidney problem, so they took him to NKTI.

Four days later, however, he was declared dead minutes past 10 a.m. while inside the hospital’s medical unit.

Investigation showed that the doctor declared that the death was caused by severe pulmonary hemorrhage due to leptospirosis.

Pardilla did not have any external injuries, police said.

However, Soriano noted the victim reportedly had several callouses and scratches in his feet.

“The family told us that he worked as a trash scavenger at Manila Bay,” he told the Inquirer. “His home in Sitio San Roque was also prone to flooding.”

The victim’s mother had reportedly told the police that the family was not interested in having the case investigated.

In June, Genesis “Tisoy” Argoncillo, who was arrested for allegedly being shirtless outside his home, also died under the custody of Quezon City police.

While police said that he was beaten to death by his fellow inmates in Novaliches police station, his killing had sparked criticism against the anti-loitering campaign, in which police had since arrested tens of thousands of ordinance violators. –With a report from Cedrix Perez

/atm