Kim Kardashian Armed Robbery May Have Been 'Inside Job,' Paris Investigators Say

Investigators are now focused on the possibility that the armed robbery of Kim Kardashian was an "inside job."

January 10, 2017

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Paris investigators have now focused on the possibility of last October's armed robbery of Kim Kardashian being an "inside job," sources told the Hollywood Reporter Tuesday. Kardashian's chauffeur and his younger brother were both among those taken into custody earlier this week. Michael Madar, 40, and Gary Madar, 27, were reportedly employed by the same company.

As reported early Monday, French police arrested 17 people in connection with the robbery. "These arrests are a nice surprise because we might be able to find the jewels," Jean Veil, Kardashian's French lawyer, toldL'Express of the "great satisfaction" of the arrests. DNA evidence, THR reported, was crucial in tracking down the suspects. A police document cited by the Associated Press said the suspects ranged in age from 23 to 72, with several of them already known to authorities due to previous crimes.

At the time of the robbery, during which Kardashian was reportedly bound and gagged, her bodyguard was not on the premises. The thieves ultimately made off with an estimated $10 million in jewelry, though the concierge at the so-called "No Address Hotel" told Entertainment Tonight in an interview weeks later that the masked men were "primarily" there seeking cash:

Kardashian, who's currently back to full-time social media-ing, briefly addressed the robbery in a new trailer for Keeping Up With the Kardashians last week. "They're gonna shoot me in the back," Kardashian recalled thinking at the time. "There's no way out. It makes me so upset to think about it." The show returns in March.