Man, 72, one of Kardashian heist suspects

FRENCH police suspect that a 72-year-old convicted cocaine dealer was among five masked gunmen who broke into Kim Kardashian’s apartment and robbed her of jewels worth millions last year, a source close to the probe said yesterday.

Pierre B – nicknamed “Pierrot” – was arrested on Monday at a villa on the Riviera in a series of coordinated raids in Paris and the south of the country over the October 3 robbery.

He was convicted of cocaine trafficking in 2006 and had appeared on the police’s radar from time to time since over his links to criminal gangs in southern France, the source said.

A 60-year-old is also in custody and suspected of being among the five armed men who took part in the stunning heist at a luxury apartment in central Paris, when thieves made off with jewellery worth about ß9-million (R131- million).

Investigators say all five suspected robbers are in custody as well as the suspected mastermind of the break-in.

Three of the 17 arrested so far had been released yesterday, a legal source said.

They include a chauffeur, who drove Kardashian during her Paris stay, whose arrest led to suspicions that the gang had inside information on the US reality star’s movements.

The driver’s brother remains in custody on suspicion of tipping off the others that her bodyguard, Pascal Duvier, was absent on the night of the robbery and giving them details about her residence.

Duvier was not with Kardashian because he was providing security for her sister Kourtney at a Paris nightclub. He no longer works for the family. Police tracked down the suspects after finding DNA at the crime scene.

A police source said that nearly all those arrested were known for organised crime. They included three women. Kardashian was tied up and locked in the bathroom. The thieves fled on bicycles or on foot.