A man and a woman were caught on Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) stealing a cellphone worth an estimated P50,000 in a fast food restaurant in Tondo, Manila, on Thursday afternoon, June 4.

According to the victim, she left her cellphone on the table to pick up her order while her companion stayed behind. When she returned, the device was already gone.

CCTV footage showed a male suspect wearing a white cap lingering near the victims’ table, seemingly observing their movements inside the restaurant. Before the theft, a female suspect allegedly approached the victim’s companion, asked for directions to Pritil, Tondo, and engaged her in conversation to distract her.

While the companion was distracted, the male suspect reportedly took advantage of the moment, circled back to the table, and took the unattended cellphone before leaving the establishment.

The stolen phone also contained online banking and e-wallet applications with an estimated P20,000 balance.

The victim later discovered that around P13,000 had already been withdrawn before access to the accounts was lost.

Using a tracking application, the phone was last located along Jacinto Street shortly after the incident. However, by around 5 p.m., the device could no longer be traced.

When the victim checked her remaining balance, only P4 was left in her e-wallet account.

She said the money had been saved for an upcoming trip to the province.

The victims immediately reported the incident to authorities, securing documentation and requesting access to CCTV footage as part of the ongoing investigation.