Police are now hunting down a man who was caught by a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera stealing a student’s cellphone inside the Tagbilaran City Elementary School.

The victim, a student of the said school, lost a newly bought Asus Zonfone Go smartphone which was kept inside his bag.

According to the student’s mother, Jennifer Sta. Ines Ebrada, 34, she lent the cellphone to her son to use for taking pictures during the school’s celebration of “Lingo ng Wika” on August 31.

After having used the smartphone, the student kept the device inside his bag which he placed on top of a bench in front of the school’s CCTV camera.

Her son only found out that the phone was missing upon reaching their home, Ebrada said.

The incident was captured in the school’s CCTV footage which was reviewed on Wednesday and showed that a man stole the victim’s phone.

The still unidentified suspect was spotted casually loitering in school grounds and opening students’ bags placed on top of a bench.

Personnel of the Tagbilaran City police’s theft and robbery section have been tasked to conduct a follow-up investigation and to go after the suspect. (W. Maestrado)