'It seemed like a show', Latest Others News - The New Paper
Lifestyle

'It seemed like a show'

French police suspect Kardashian robbery could be 'inside job'

French police are looking into the possibility that those who robbed Kim Kardashian had inside information.

The US reality TV star was held at gunpoint at midnight on Monday in a Paris hotel room and robbed of about US$11 million (S$15 million) worth of jewellery by men disguised as police officers.

A source told the New York Post that the "French police suspect that the five alleged robbers had some contact with her security and were tipped off about her procedures".

"They knew there was no security (with her inside her apartment that night)," the unnamed source was quoted as saying.

"All they had to do was go in, make contact with someone inside the hotel,'' it added.

BODYGUARD

The source also said that the police are talking to bodyguards who worked with her earlier in the week and that one or more of the armed robbers could have been a bodyguard who had protected her before in Paris.

Her current bodyguard, Mr Pascal Douvier, who was protecting her sisters Kourtney and Kendall at the time, has been questioned, but is not under suspicion.

Said the source: "They also believe that the concierge who was tied up may have been to throw people off.

"They did some things that were so unprofessional it seemed like a show."

People magazine reported that Kardashian managed to slip out of plastic strings used to tie around her wrists by "wriggling her hands" - then ran to a friend who was hiding downstairs.

"She was hysterical but not screaming as she knew she had to keep quiet to survive," a source close to the reality TV star told People.

"The reports of her fear of being raped are real. She really did think she was going to be raped. She had a gun to her head the whole time."

Simone Harouche, her friend and stylist, had locked herself in a downstairs bathroom when she heard the commotion upstairs, E! News reported.

Kardashian, who also was gagged with duct tape, then ran to Harouche and told her to jump off the balcony to seek help.

Mr Steve Stanulis, the star's former bodyguard, earlier told Page Six that Kardashian, 35, should be more careful on social media.

He said: "Kim's social media and her Snapchat is her undoing. When she is posting, 'Here I am, and this is the US$5 million ring I am wearing, here's where I am going,' you are basically inviting someone to rob you."

$15 MILLION ROBBERY: A police officer stands guard at the entrance of a luxury residence in central Paris where masked men robbed TV star Kim Kardashian. PHOTO: REUTERS

While thousands of fans have come out in support of the star following her horrific ordeal, a small minority are suggesting that the entire thing could have been faked.

One troll wrote: "How do 5 fake police officers get up to her room, tie her up& rob 5M of jewellery w/out ANY of her body guards stepping in."

Another added: "What are the chances this Kim Kardashian robbery is fake? Under or over 85 per cent?"

Meanwhile, fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld ticked off Kardashian yesterday for flaunting her wealth, AFP reported.

He told reporters after his Chanel show: "You cannot display your wealth and then be surprised that some people want to share it with you."

DIAMOND RING

Kardashian tweeted a picture last week of a diamond ring worth around four million euros (S$6 million) which police said had been stolen along with other jewellery.

It was a huge diamond sparkler - reportedly a 20-carat ring by Lorraine Schwartz - on her finger, while resting her chin on her hand, mouth opened to show off gold dental grillz, as well as a black and gold choker and, of course, serious cleavage.

Schwartz has designed for celebrities such as Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Cate Blanchett to name a few, and is a third-generation jeweller.

kim kardashianparisRobbery