Last updated at 11:19 21 March 2008

Italian police have issued video footage of a man who has been hypnotizing supermarket checkout staff and getting them to hand over the cash.

In every case, according to reports, the last thing staff remember is a man leaning over and saying 'Look into my eyes' before suddenly finding the till is empty.

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Look into my eyes: The man - who bears an uncanny resemblance to Rasputin and Saddam Hussein - bends over as he speaks to the cashier

Then he walks away with a grin, tucking goods into his pocket

Matt Lucas's hypnotist character on Little Britain is also fond of the phrase 'Look into my eyes'

In the latest incident captured on video footage the man walked into a bank in Ancona in northern Italy.

He waited until he got to a female bank clerk and, according to the video footage, appears to hypnotise her into handing over more than £600.

He then calmly walked out.

The cashier who was shown the video footage reportedly has no memory of the incident. She only realised what had happened when she saw the money missing.

Checks of CCTV cameras in the bank showed her being hypnotised by the man.

Italian police are now looking for the suspect - who bears an uncanny resemblance to Saddam Hussein - who they believe is either of Indian or North African.