The 3,000-years-old bracelet from ancient Egypt, which was stolen earlier this month, have been found to be sold and melted already.
The bracelet belonged to Pharaoh Amenemope, a king of the 21st dynasty of ancient Egypt who ruled from 1077 BCE to 943 BCE. The solid gold bracelet was decorated with beads of lapis lazuli, a brilliant blue gemstone considered highly valuable in ancient Egypt. The bracelet was at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo when it was stolen last week. Reportedly, it was taken by one of the assistants undertaking its restoration. The bracelet was being prepared for the “Treasures Of Pharaohs” exhibition in Rome, which would have featured 130 artifacts of jewelry used by various Egyptian pharaohs.
Immediately after the theft was discovered, Egyptian authorities launched a manhunt to recover the artifact. The image of the bracelet was circulated at all airports, seaports, and border checkpoints across the country to prevent it from being smuggled. A committee was set up to survey the remaining objects at the museum to ensure nothing else was missing.
Now, the authorities have announced that four people have been arrested in relation to the theft. They also revealed that the bracelet was sold for 194,000 Egyptian pounds (approx. $4,000). It was also melted down and mixed with other metals to prevent detection. The authorities have recovered the amount from the suspects, though the melted piece is yet to be recovered. In any case, at this point, the artifact is beyond restoration.
