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A Jordanian national preying on yoga studios in Metro Manila for years was arrested on Thursday night.
Suspect Takiuddin Mazin Agha, also known as Ali Mazhid or John Malik, was nabbed after he pretended to be a client at a yoga studio in Rockwell, Makati City.
Benedict Bernabe, head of operations of the said yoga studio, said they were already tipped off about Agha by another fitness center in Taguig City after the suspect had previously stolen there and was caught on CCTV camera.
Modus operandi
In a Facebook post, Bernabe detailed Agha’s modus operandi.
“He pretends to be a client who will walk in and is interested to take yoga classes. The first time he visits, he will ask a lot of questions and ask to be toured in the studio or inspect the studio,” Bernabe said.
On his next visit, Bernabe said the suspect would pay the fees right away and would also “show that he has lots of cash in his wallet so that the receptionists won’t suspect.”
Before class starts, the suspect would talk to the teacher and tell him that it is his first time and that he has health issues.
“Early into the class, he will feign tiredness and tightening in the chest and then will excuse himself from class. This is when he will go to the locker room and start doing his contribution to the advancement of society,” Bernabe said.
“He will then immediately leave. When class ends, people will realize that their stuff has been stolen and by then he’ll be a good distance away from the studio,” he added.
Finally, arrested
On Thursday night, the suspect went to a yoga studio in Rockwell where he was finally arrested.
“As soon as he walked into the studio, our receptionists and maintenance staff (all female) already recognized him,” Bernabe said.
He said the staff in the studio noticed that Agha took a longer time to change clothes for class.
Bernabe said the staff called him to inform about the suspect but he was at another branch so he told them to call the security.
“When he exited the yoga class and entered the male locker room, they knew he was on his modus already,” he said.
He said their receptionists armed themselves with “peppermint sprays.”
Their head receptionist, Bernabe said, “went down to inform the guard to look for back up because there’s a thief in the studio.”
Upon checking the lockers, the receptionist “saw that they’ve been compromised.”
“The thief was on the second floor so our recep shouted to the guard on the ground floor saying, ‘May nakuha na (Things have been taken)!’” Bernabe said.
He described the suspect as “large and six feet tall and carried a bag of tools that included chisels and ice picks.
Bernabe told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview that the suspect was arrested by the building’s security guard at around 6:15 p.m.
“The thief was pinned down on the ground; armed Rockwell patrol guards came to back up our building guard and they called the police,” he said.
When police arrived, the suspect was brought to the Makati Police Station 6.
At the police station, the suspect was in possession of the missing wallet and mobile phones, including dozens of identification cards, keys to gym lockers, spa lockers, and cars.
“The police called the people whose IDs were found and they verified that their wallets have been stolen,” Bernabe said.
Complaints filed
Bernabe said some of the victims filed charges of robbery, malicious mischief, fictitious identity against Agha.
The suspect, he said, was provided a lawyer by the Public Attorney’s Office, after Agha requested to have one.
The suspect underwent inquest proceedings at the Makati City Hall on Friday afternoon.
Bernabe, meanwhile urged other victims to file charges against the suspect.
“We want him to stay in jail while his case is being tried in Makati. I know he has had a lot of victims and I ask all of you to step forward and make it more difficult for him to leave jail,” he said.
Bernabe added that they are also working on his deportation.
“Our evidence is very strong and I’m confident of a conviction,” he said.
The suspect is currently detained at the Makati City Central Police Station.
He urged other victims to contact him through his number 09178266169 or send him an e-mail at benedict.bernabe@gmail.com.
Business as usual
Bernabe told INQUIRER.net that their yoga studio is on business as usual after the incident.
He said they were “really prepared” for the incident after they were tipped off by other fitness centers.
He said security guards in the building were always on alert for similar incidents in the future.
“We have security measures in place,” he said. JE