On March 31, 2016, members of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) temporarily detained Professor Benjamin Scharifker, rector of the Universidad Metropolitana.
PNB members reportedly approached Scharifker while he was out on a morning jog. After questioning him, they ordered Scharifker into a police vehicle and drove to his home where armed individuals were waiting. There, PNB members subjected Scharifker to further questions about his identity, profession, and connections before leaving his home and releasing him.