A rare 3,000-year-old gold bracelet belonging to Pharaoh Amenemope was stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo on September 9, sold through a chain of dealers, then melted down into new jewelry, leading to the arrest and confession of four suspects.
A priceless 3,000-year-old bracelet once belonging to Pharaoh Amenemope has been stolen from a restoration laboratory in the Egyptian Museum and irreversibly destroyed after being melted down. The theft was discovered on September 9, during preparations for an international exhibit.
According to Egyptian authorities, the museum lab lacked proper security cameras, a “laxity” which Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy blamed for facilitating the crime. It was revealed that a restoration specialist took the bracelet from a safe, gave it to a silver shop owner, then it passed to a gold workshop for sale, and finally to a gold foundry worker who melted it with other items.
All four suspects involved have been arrested and have confessed, while authorities have seized the proceeds from the sale. Egyptians and heritage experts expressed profound anger and said the incident underscores serious weaknesses in the protection of ancient artefacts.