PIAUI, BRAZIL (THE PHILIPPINE INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Maybe not all criminals are as heartless as they seem.

In an unusual act of kindness, a pharmacy robber in Piaui, Brazil, refused to take the money of an elderly woman - he even planted a kiss on her forehead as his partner grabbed the money from the cash register.

The pharmacy's owner, Mr Samuel Almeida, said two armed men on Oct 15 barged in and announced a robbery, demanding his cashier hand over all the money in the register, according to Brazilian news outlet G1 via Daily Mail.

The elderly woman, a local client, then offered one of the robbers her money. But the criminal refused and said: "No, ma'am, you can be quiet. I don't want your money," according to Mr Almeida.

In security footage posted by Infosaj in YouTube, one of the robbers can be seen tapping the elderly woman's shoulder as if he is trying to calm her down, before kissing her on the forehead. The armed robbers both wore helmets during the incident and reportedly took US$240 (S$328) in cash.

The criminals are yet to be identified, as of writing. Mr Almeida has sought help from local police, who have since been searching the neighbourhood for the suspects.