Never lose sight of your belongings when in public places—even inside a church. This was the lesson learned by a woman who lost her wallet and two cellphones while praying inside Nazareno Parish Church along C.M. Recto Avenue in Cagayan de Oro City at around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2026. A series of CCTV footage shared by netizen Gelay Gelay showed the suspect sitting behind the victim as she knelt in prayer. He then took the opportunity to grab her handbag and took some contents including her wallet and two cellphones before quickly leaving the church.
Watch the CCTV footage below.
VIDEO 1: Suspect arrives at church on board a jeepney.
VIDEO 2: Suspect enters church and even makes the sign of the cross.
VIDEO 3: Thief sits behind victim, takes her bag and steals her wallet and 2 phones.
VIDEO 4: Thief leaving the church.
VIDEO 5: Thief leaving the church – another angle.
Here an AI-enhanced image of the suspect.
