US reality television star, Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint at a luxury Paris residence by assailants disguised as police who made off with millions, mainly in jewellery, French police and her representative said Monday.
A spokesperson for Kardashian said she was “badly shaken but physically unharmed” after the assault, which occurred late on Sunday.
Paris police said the items stolen were worth “several million euros” and were “mostly jewellery”.
The spokesperson said “two armed masked men dressed as police officers” had entered Kardashian’s residence in a chic district of Paris and held her up at gunpoint.
On hearing the news, Kardashian’s husband, rap superstar Kanye West, abruptly ended an appearance at a festival in New York, citing a “family emergency”.
Kardashian, one of the most recognisable US celebrities, had made a series of high-profile appearances at Paris fashion week.
The 35-year-old had attended catwalk shows by Balenciaga and Givenchy on Sunday and had also appeared at a launch for Armenian-American jewellery designer Siran Manoukian.
The Los Angeles-born designer and socialite, a longtime friend of Kardashian, was launching her own clothing label Maison Siran.
A spokeswoman for Maison Siran told AFP that their jewellery was “extremely premium”, but could not confirm that Kardashian had been loaned any of it, as is often the case for fashion shows and film premieres.
On Monday, a gaggle of journalists and fans gathered outside the red painted door of the luxury residence where Kardashian had been staying in the Madeleine district of Paris near the city’s main department stores.
A waiter at a cafe opposite said: “Only stars stay there. Kanye West, Jay Z. Kim Kardashian has been there for a week, I have seen her coming and going.”
Kardashian was last week approached in Paris by Vitalii Sediuk, who carries out pranks on stars. He was caught on video attempting to kiss her behind in an apparent social commentary.
Kardashian, who has two children with West, has been a fixture of US celebrity news for more than a decade after the leak of a sex tape and on the back of reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”.
