Suspects behind Kim Kardashian robbery talk, but jewellery loot remains missing

A month into the French police arrest of suspects behind reality TV star Kim Kardashian’s high profile robbery, investigators have made progress and are piecing together what happened, based on accounts from the interrogations. 

However, so far, none of the loot has been recovered, reports AsiaOne

Ten suspects have been charged for the hold-up of Kardashian, who was robbed at gunpoint in October 2016.

The suspects allegedly took jewellery worth more than €9 million (S$13 million). 

Amongst the suspects include 60-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, known as ‘Old Omar’ to many, and widely speculated to be the ringleader of the gang that committed the robbery. 

Omar reportedly told the police while under interrogation that the main prize of the haul - a 18.88-carat, near flawless diamond ring was too ‘identifiable’ to sell. 

He said that he gave the ring to someone whose identity he has refused to divulge. 

Five men, some of whom were spotted wearing jackets sporting police insignia, held Kardashian at gunpoint on Oct 2 and fled with several pieces of gold and diamond jewellery. 

One suspect, Yunis Abbas dropped a diamond-encrusted cross during his getaway on a bicycle, found by a passerby later, and it remains the only piece recovered thus far. 

Omar also told investigators that the rest of the jewellery were dismantled, with the gold melted down into bars, while the diamonds were ‘probably sold’. 

The police are also looking for another suspect, 64-year-old Marceau Baum-Gartner, who went to Belgium, along with Omar on eight occasions between Oct 7 and Dec 23. 

Sources claimed that Marceau made the trips to get rid of the loot, and that relations between him and Omar soured. 

In a tapped conversation between the two, Omar told Marceau that “the ring was supposed to be done within eight days… it’s been a month.”