A man has been detained for allegedly stealing over 70,000 yuan (US$10,500) worth of mobile phones and laptops from students in his former university, police said on Tuesday.

The first thefts were reported at Lingang University Town in Pudong New Area in April this year, police said.

From surveillance cameras located near the thefts, a man who looked like a student was spotted in all cases, each time wearing the same clothes.

The man was found to have taken the metro to a station in Baoshan District in one instance, but police lost his whereabouts afterwards.

The suspect as caughton surveillance footage in a classroom.

The suspect as caughton surveillance footage on campus.

After another theft on June 3, police managed to track the suspect down to a shopping mall in Baoshan District where he was trying to sell stolen laptops.

The suspect, a man surnamed Feng, was caught in an internet café in the same district on June 7, when police discovered two stolen laptops and a stolen mobile phone amongst his belongings.

Feng has confessed and allegedly said he stole from students at his former university and a neighboring university because he was deep in debt due to loss in futures trading.