BBC News, 17 March

Police in Italy have recently issued footage of a man who is accused of hypnotising supermarket checkout staff to hand over money from their cash registers. In each case, the last thing staff reportedly remember is the thief leaning over and saying: “Look into my eyes”, before finding the till empty.

In the latest incident captured on CCTV, he targeted a bank at Ancona in northern Italy. A female bank clerk reportedly handed over nearly 800 euros (£630). CCTV from the bank showed her apparently being hypnotised by the man, according to the reports. According to Italian media, the cashier who was shown the video footage has no memory of the incident, only realising what had happened when she saw the money missing.