Thieves steal ancient Pharaoh’s bracelet in Cairo museum heist, sell it for just $4K

An ancient Egyptian bracelet once belonging to Pharaoh Amenemope has been stolen from Cairo’s Egyptian Museum and melted down, authorities revealed.

The gold bracelet, dating back 3,000 years, was taken on September 9 from the museum’s restoration lab while officials prepared artifacts for an exhibition in Italy.

The piece, a simple gold band adorned with a lapis lazuli bead, was part of the collection of Amenemope, a pharaoh of Egypt’s 21st Dynasty who ruled from Tanis in the Nile Delta.

Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy said the lab where it was stolen lacked security cameras, leaving the priceless item vulnerable.

Pharoh’s 3,000-year-old bracelet stolen

Authorities say the bracelet passed through several hands before being destroyed after the museum heist. A restoration specialist at the museum confessed to giving the artifact to a contact who owned a silver shop in Cairo’s Sayyeda Zainab district.

From there, it was sold for around $3,800 to a gold workshop, and later resold for about $4,000 to another jeweler who melted it down to make other pieces of jewelry.

Security camera footage released by the ministry shows one suspect presenting the bracelet at a shop, weighing it, and being paid for it.

Four suspects have been arrested, including the museum restoration specialist. They reportedly confessed to their roles in the heist. The money earned from the sale has been seized, though the artifact itself is gone.

Amenemope’s tomb was discovered in 1940 by French Egyptologist Pierre Montet and forms part of the museum’s Tanis collection, which includes thousands of objects such as gold funerary masks and silver coffins.

Under Egyptian law, stealing an artifact with intent to smuggle it can carry a life sentence and fines up to $100,000, according to AFP. Authorities have not yet announced specific charges against those involved.

The loss of the bracelet has sparked outrage among Egyptologists and historians, who consider it an irreplaceable part of the country’s cultural heritage.

This isn’t the only museum heist to make headlines. Back in 2024, at least four employees at the Van Gogh Museum were suspended after it was discovered that they reportedly stole Pokemon cards during the popular exhibition.