- Title: Kim Kardashian bound, gagged and left in bathtub during Paris robbery
- Date: 3rd October 2016
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (FILE - MAY 2014) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF KIM KARDASHIAN CARRYING BABY NORTH ENTERING SAME RESIDENCE WHERE SHE WAS ROBBED EXTERIOR OF RESIDENCE
- Embargoed: 19th October 2016 00:02
- Keywords: Kim Kardashin robbery Paris Kanye
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/PARIS, FRANCE
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: USA
- Topics: Bombing (non-military),Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA00552GDNIF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: As reality TV star Kim Kardashian returned to New York "badly shaken" on Monday (October 3) after being robbed at gunpoint in her Paris residence by masked men who stole some $10 million worth of jewellery, new details are emerging about the robbery.
According to E! News, whose U.S. network broadcasts the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," Kim Kardashian was alone when the robbery took place.
"I'm told by my sources that Kim was alone in her room at the time and it was around 3am and she was stormed by these robbers and actually they handcuffed her, they ended up gagging her with tape around her mouth, they tied her hands and her feet, ended up putting her in the bathroom, put her in the bathtub, locked the door and proceeded to finish their robbery and left with close to 10 million dollars in jewellery," said Senior News Corespondent, E! News, Ken Baker.
"Obviously Kim's very shaken by what happened. I would imagine she's very relieved to be back in the states, back with her family and feels a lot safer there than she did certainly in Paris," he added.
A Paris police source earlier told Reuters that five attackers, wearing ski masks and clothes with police markings, struck around 3 a.m. (0100 GMT) inside the exclusive apartment block where Kardashian, 35, was staying while attending Paris Fashion Week.
Two of the men entered Kardashian's apartment after threatening the night guard with a hand gun. Kardashian, who has two young children with husband-rapper Kanye West, was not beaten but the robbers put a handgun against her temple before tying her up, the source said. iTELE television said she had been tied up with packing tape.
Kardashian was alone in her Paris resident because her bodyguard was attending a party with her sisters Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner, according to E! News.
"My understanding is that the children were not in Paris, were not in the hotel room. Also I'm told that Kourtney (Kardashian) and her sister Kendall were with the security guard that had been guardian Kim and were at a party across town," said Baker.
The robbers stole a box containing jewels worth 5 million to 6 million euros ($5.6 million to $6.7 million) and a ring worth about 4 million euros ($4.5 million), the Paris police source said.
"We believe that her engagement ring which Kanye West had just recently re-done was stolen in the robbery along with a lot of other jewellery, we are talking millions of dollars worth of jewellery. A lot of people are asking whether that was smart or not but the fact is that she is a very glamorous person, she was going to be attending a lot of events and was travelling to France and wanted to make sure she had her finest jewellery with her," said Baker.
As news of the robbery spread, West abruptly ended a performance in New York less than an hour into his set on Sunday night.
The Paris apartment block is a discreet building behind the city's Madeleine church, with several secret entrances, often frequented by movie and music stars who pay up to 15,000 euros ($16,800) a night.
The source said the attackers fled on bicycles. Police found the night guard in the staircase, his hand and feet bound.
Kardashian was in Paris with her mother, Kris Jenner, and sisters Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian to attend the fashion week. The rest of the family stayed in a hotel.
Baker said he believed the Robbery in the early hours of Monday would change how celebrities travel and use social media.
"I think that the impact of this robbery is not only going to impact Kim in the future and her family but also a lot of high profile celebrities. This was a big wake-up call and certainly I think the next time a celebrity is in a residence and goes to sleep at 3am and their security guard to go ahead and leave they may think twice about that. Another issue for security regarding celebrities like Kim Kardashian is how much they want to use social media. We obviously had Kim snapchatting, Instagraming almost constantly since she arrived in Paris. It wasn't very hard to figure out what she was doing and where she was doing it," he said.
Even when Kardashian is not appearing on her "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" reality show, or being trailed by paparazzi, she shares details of her day with her 84 million Instagram and 48 million Twitter followers.
That openness may have made her vulnerable to the thieves in Paris who robbed her. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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