In the early hours of October 3rd, while attending Paris Fashion Week, Kim Kardashian was targeted in a shocking robbery that made global headlines. At the time, she was staying at the discreet Hôtel de Pourtalès, located in the heart of Paris. Alone in her room and without the presence of her usual security team, Kardashian had settled in for the night when she was awakened by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching her suite.
The five men who stormed into her room were disguised as police officers. They quickly overpowered the night receptionist, forcing their way into the suite and holding Kardashian at gunpoint. In a panic, Kardashian attempted to dial 911, but the emergency number doesn’t work outside the United States. As she scrambled to reach her security team, the robbers began demanding her $4 million engagement ring, a gift from her then-husband Kanye West. Confused and startled by the aggression, Kardashian hesitated before realizing the attackers were after the jewelry.
The robbers, who also took additional items, including other pieces of jewelry and €1,000 in cash, were relentless. One of the men even pulled Kardashian toward him, leading her to fear for her safety and to think she might be assaulted. Fortunately, instead of further violence, the men restrained her by binding her with zip ties and duct tape, a method known in France as saucissonnage. They then left her tied up in the bathroom before fleeing the scene.
After the robbers departed, Kardashian was able to free herself and immediately alerted her security team. The traumatic incident prompted her to give a statement to French authorities before she returned to the United States. The financial impact of the robbery was significant, with losses estimated at around $10 million, making it one of the largest celebrity jewelry heists in recent memory.
Investigations into the robbery revealed a series of missteps on both sides. Kardashian’s habit of sharing her movements on social media allowed the robbers to track her location, which played a critical role in their planning. Additionally, despite the high-profile nature of the attack, the thieves made several errors, such as leaving behind DNA traces and being captured on CCTV as they fled the scene.
Within a few months, French police arrested a group of elderly criminals, mostly men in their sixties and seventies, who were dubbed the “grandpa robbers” by the media. Among the arrested were Yunice Abbas and Aomar Ait Khedache, who later confessed to their involvement in the heist. According to court documents, the robbers had relied heavily on Kardashian’s public social media posts to track her movements. Investigators also speculated that an insider from a transportation company may have provided additional information about Kardashian’s location, though this was denied by the accused’s lawyer.
While much of the stolen jewelry was melted down or broken up to avoid detection, Kardashian’s engagement ring remained too recognizable to sell and has never been recovered. The robbery had a profound effect on Kardashian, prompting her to reevaluate her life and priorities. In interviews and on her reality TV show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, she openly discussed the emotional toll the event took on her, admitting that she feared for her life during the attack.
In the wake of the incident, Kardashian took a break from social media and significantly upgraded her personal security measures. Her family also became more cautious about sharing real-time updates online. The robbery ultimately changed Kardashian’s perspective, making her less materialistic and causing the entire Kardashian-Jenner family to rethink their approach to public life in the age of social media. Nearly nine years later, Kardashian is expected to appear as a witness in the trial of those involved in the robbery in Paris.
