Daddy Yankee imposter robs singer of $2.3m in jewellery from hotel room

Daddy Yankee, the singer of global smash hit Despacito, has been robbed of more than $2m (£1.6m) in jewellery by an impersonator.

According to the BBC, Spanish newspaper Las Provincias reported that a man posing as Daddy Yankee phoned staff at the hotel where the performer was staying at in Valencia, Spain, and told them to open the room's safe.

The 41-year-old musical artist, real name Ramon Luis Ayala, was not present at the time of the robbery - in which $2,500 (£2,000) cash was also taken in the hotel room.

The reggaeton star's representatives Nevarez PR confirmed the robbery in a Twitter post in Spanish.

The post says a law firm has been hired, and they will make no further statements so as not to hinder the police investigation.

Reportedly two rooms were robbed, one with the safe containing the jewels and the other with thousands of dollars in cash.

Authorities will utilise “security footage and the guest list at the establishment - as well as seek fingerprints for forensics experts - in their probe in the robbery of the San Juan, Puerto Rico native”, says the Daily Mail.

Daddy Yankee and his team “asked the hotel to contact authorities upon their return to the room, leading multiple branches of law enforcement to respond and interview both hotel employees as well as Daddy Yankee and two people with him”, adds the paper.

The thieves wore gloves and didn't leave behind physical evidence for investigators to follow up on, Las Provincias reported.

Despite the theft, Daddy Yankee will continue his tour with a performance in Martigues, France on Thursday night.

Despacito is the most-viewed YouTube video of all time, with over five billion views to date.