As Kim Kardashian recovers after fleeing Paris we pose the nine unanswered questions about the daring robbery

THE strange tale of how Kim Kardashian was bound, gagged and robbed at gunpoint in her luxury Paris apartment is surely one of the most bizarre celebrity stories of the decade.

In an audacious heist, five men dressed as French police officers are said to have forced the concierge at the city’s Hotel Pourtales to let them into the reality star’s room.

There they restrained reality TV star Kim, 35, and snatched valuables worth almost £9million, including her £3.6million engagement ring.

Yet one robber seemingly didn’t even know Kim’s name, blurting: “Where is the wife of the rapper?”

The concierge told detectives how the raider referred to Kim and rapper hubby Kanye West.

Police scoured CCTV of the area and saw the men escaping on bicycles, though a black car — possibly a lookout — was also filmed outside the hotel.

A source said: “There have been no arrests but we are slowly piecing together profiles of those involved. They were in their forties or fifties and of European appearance.

“They came and went on bicycles and only spent a few minutes inside the flat, suggesting they knew what they were doing.

“We have studied huge amounts of CCTV film and there is a chance images of the men may have been caught on camera.”

Yet as the days pass since the robbery, questions are mounting about some of the peculiar circumstances surrounding the heist — and they are becoming ever harder to answer.

Here, we examine some of the ­nagging inconsistencies that just won’t go away.

Why no CCTV?

ONLY Kim and the unidentified night porter apparently saw the masked attackers, with no CCTV inside or outside the apartment.

Charles Pellegrini, the former head of France’s anti-organised crime squad, slammed the hotel’s security arrangements.

He said: “If I’m the owner of a hotel and I get Kim Kardashian, I double or triple my security procedures. I put agents at each exit.”

However, a police source said the men may have been captured on CCTV belonging to other premises, including a nearby nail salon.

The insider said: “We have studied huge amounts of CCTV film in the area and there is a chance that images of the men may have been caught on camera.”

How were they left unguarded?

KIM’S location was no secret. Hubby Kanye has kept a semi-permanent residence at the Hotel Pourtales’ penthouse suite since 2011.

She joked about bodyguard Pascal Duvier “always being in my shot” in the days leading up to the robbery.

Yet on the night of the heist, Kim was alone in an upstairs room while her stylist pal Simone Harouche slept downstairs.

Duvier was two miles away with Kim’s sisters Kourtney and Kendall Jenner at a club.

He rushed back after Simone raised the alarm – too late to protect Kim or catch the attackers.

A source close to the family claims they do not blame Duvier but his decision to leave Kim without security on such a high-profile trip has raised eyebrows.

Why only one night porter?

JUST one person stood between Kim and the criminals – an unarmed night porter described as a “critical witness” by police.

Past guests say such flimsy security was not unusual at the hotel, made up of nine luxury apartments ­costing up to £8,000 a week apiece.

One said: “Security is close to zero. Basically, you bring your personnel with you. It’s essentially a flat with one front-desk concierge.”

Kim told police the unnamed porter watched the crime unfold after being bound and held at gunpoint.

He led the thieves to her door, keeping an “unusually calm demeanour” throughout.

The robbers took the concierge with them and left him in the lobby, his hands still cuffed.

How did the gang get in?

THE crime looked too simple. The thieves came in through the main door of the apartment block without causing any damage.

Dressed as police officers, they easily entered Kim’s apartment with the help of the concierge, who simply unlocked the door.

A source close to investigators said: “What’s confusing to police is how a low-ranking night staffer had such easy key access to the VIP apartments.”

The crime took just six minutes, suggesting the raiders knew exactly what they were doing.

The source added: “Police have issues with the stories of more than one worker at the hotel.

“They are also talking to bodyguards who worked with Kim earlier in the week.”

Why did Kim leave so soon?

JUST hours after the attack, Kim was on a ­private jet back to New York to be reunited with husband Kanye.

All very strange, given that victims of serious crimes are usually required to remain close by in order to help the police with their inquiries.

Key information can easily be forgotten or overlooked otherwise.

If Kim is keen to see her attackers brought to justice, it seems odd that she would not remain in Paris to help with the investigation.

However, she is said to be briefing detectives in transatlantic phone calls from the US.

Why no pics from Kim?

THE selfie queen has been unusually silent on social media since her ordeal, with a short statement from her spokesman saying Kim is “badly shaken but physically unharmed”.

Contrast that with her frenzied activity earlier that week, flaunting her engagement ring and other jewellery in pictures and posts.

She posted one snap just an hour before the attack and her posts would have alerted ­criminals to the valuables she had with her.

Media pundits expect Kim to give a first-hand account of her nightmare on US television.

Hollywood publicist Kiara Horwitz said: “Kim will probably give an hour exclusive to one of the top news stations.

“I am sure Kris (Jenner, Kim’s mum and manager) was setting that up the second she found out about this.”

How did the gang escape?

BIZARRELY, the thieves made their getaway by bicycle.

Hardly a high-speed exit – yet they seem to have melted into thin air.

Once again, it all looks a bit too easy.

According to Steve Stanulis, Kim ­Kardashian’s former bodyguard, the heist was “100 per cent” an inside job.

“They went to an exclusive place, with exclusive entrances, they knew exactly where to go, where to find the jewellery,” he said.

“Security was out with the sisters and Kim had been showing all the jewellery on ­Snapchat. It’s a perfect storm to get robbed.”

French police are also investigating a suspicious black car, thought to be a lookout, that was seen in the early hours of Monday morning circling the hotel.

Why are finances under scrutiny?

KIM’S bodyguard Pascal Duvier filed for ­bankruptcy protection ten weeks ago as his German security firm reportedly racked up debts of almost £1million.

The insolvency lawyer working on the case said: “There is so much debt. There are many claimants. I cannot say the exact number. Lots.”

Duvier is clearly in need of a windfall.

Kanye has been candid about his own money problems, revealing on Twitter in February that he had debts of more than £40million.

He is thought to have got into the hole with a string of bad business decisions, coupled with his uncompromisingly extravagant lifestyle.

However, he could now stand to benefit from a substantial insurance payout.

Was it all a big publicity stunt?

CONSPIRACY theorists are questioning if the robbery was a stunt to boost ­ratings of Kim’s TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

It has long been rumoured her notorious sex tape was leaked by mum Kris Jenner.

But a fake robbery could see them go to jail, while Kim and Kanye may be the most famous couple in the world already.

A publicist familiar with Kim’s team says: “A good publicist would know this would only bring negative press. None of her reps are that dumb.”