Egypt Has Arrested Four People For Stealing A 3,000-Year-Old Historical Gold Bracelet, Selling And Melting It
Authorities said that a woman restoration specialist stole the bracelet while staff were preparing artifacts for another exhibit.
Egyptian authorities arrested four people after they stole a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, selling and melting it, sparking fury.
The bracelet, which belonged to Pharaoh Amenemope of the 21st Dynasty, disappeared from the museum’s restoration lab on Sept. 9.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Sept. 19 that the bracelet was stolen, sharing an image of the missing bracelet with antiquities units across all Egyptian airports, seaports and land border crossings nationwide as a precautionary step to prevent smuggling attempts.
Authorities then announced they had arrested four suspects on Thursday, Sept. 18.
It said that a woman restoration specialist stole the bracelet while staff were preparing artifacts for an exhibit in Italy.
She reportedly sold the bracelet to a silver jeweler she was acquainted with in Sayyida Zainab, Cairo, who then sold it to a goldsmith for about US$3,735.
The goldsmith then sold the bracelet for around US$4,025 to a gold foundry worker, who melted it down with other gold pieces, completely ruining the artifact.
All four people have confessed to their roles in the crime, and authorities have seized the money from the sale.
People in Egypt were shocked and angry over the loss of a historical piece and called for tighter security measures to protect Egypt's priceless cultural heritage.
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