The founders of the wellness brand Cymbiotika, Shahab and Durana Elmi, along with their children and staff, were robbed by armed intruders at their rented villa in Cannes, France. The incident occurred early Thursday morning, just hours after Durana Elmi had attended an event with Oprah Winfrey.
Masked individuals armed with machine guns and pistols reportedly stormed the luxury villa around 3 a.m., waking the family and their staff. Shahab Elmi described the scene as "sheer terror," stating that the intruders demanded cash, jewelry, and watches before fleeing. The family, from San Diego, California, were unharmed but shaken by the ordeal. The robbers made off with valuables estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"We heard a really loud scream from our chief of staff, who was on the same floor as us," Shahab Elmi told the Daily Mail. "My wife immediately jumped out of bed assuming something was going on with the children. As we ran to get them, armed guys were coming up the stairs with machine guns."
Shahab Elmi recounted placing himself between the gunmen and his two daughters, aged 11 and 13, to shield them during the approximately 15-minute robbery. He described the intruders as aggressive and speaking in broken English.
The couple were in Cannes for the Lions Festival, a global celebration of advertising, where they were hosting events for Cymbiotika, their plant-based supplement brand. They were staying in a nine-bedroom villa that reportedly featured 24-hour security. "The pitch was you're paying premium but you'll be safe. But we weren’t safe," Shahab Elmi stated.
Just hours before the robbery, Durana Elmi had a public interaction with media executive Oprah Winfrey at the festival. "We had the privilege of having Oprah on stage on Wednesday, and I had an incredible exchange with her about strength and well-being and the inner work," Durana Elmi said.
This incident draws parallels to previous high-profile robberies in France. In 2016, Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint in Paris, and earlier in June, British YouTuber Ben Phillips and his girlfriend were targeted in a villa in Vallauris, near Cannes.
Despite the traumatic experience, the Elmi family has decided to remain in Europe to ensure their children do not leave with only the memory of the robbery. "My wife and I didn't want our children to leave Europe with this last memory," Shahab Elmi said. "We will make sure they have a great summer experience. We're not going to teach them that bad things happen and we run away."
French police are investigating the incident, and the U.S. State Department has offered support to the family. Shahab Elmi, who is of Iranian descent, and his wife Durana, who is from Afghanistan, emphasized their resilience, stating, "Our entire life has been overcoming obstacles."