Thief uses breast milk to distract staff, steals cash

A new mother in Germany has used a curious tactic to distract staff at a pharmacy while allegedly stealing cash.

Baby bottles with milk. (FILE: AAP)

A new mother in Germany has used a curious tactic to distract staff at a pharmacy while allegedly stealing cash.

The woman reportedly went into the pharmacy at roughly 4:25pm in Darmstadt, Hesse in Germany to buy a breast pump. But as she handed over a €200-note ($A286) to pay for her €20 ($A28.57) purchase, she suddenly lifted up her top and squirted breast milk at staff.

The Local newspaper reported that the woman, dubbed the Milk Sprayer, rummaged through two cash registers, and refused to stop spraying people with breast milk despite pleas from customers and staff members.

According to police spokesman Ferdinand Derigs: "The staff and customers were frozen to pillars of salt, so unused as they were to this extraordinary act.

"She created the confusion to steal. This was a most extraordinary crime. We have never dealt with such a thing before."

When the ordeal was over, the woman exited the store and left behind the breast pump.

Staff members noticed that around €100 ($A142.83) was missing when they counted the till at the end of the day.

Police have described the woman as having a "robust" figure, long dark pony tail and a foreign accent.