Overview

• The Interior Ministry and local police say four people are in custody, including a restoration specialist accused of removing the piece on September 9 from a locked store at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
• Investigators report the bracelet was sold for about 194,000 Egyptian pounds through a jeweler to a goldworker who melted it with other scrap, making recovery impossible.
• Officials identify the artifact as a 21st Dynasty bracelet linked to Pharaoh Amenemopet and adorned with blue lapis lazuli.
• The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry opened an internal probe, issued alerts to airports, seaports and border checkpoints, and said it delayed public disclosure to support the investigation.
• Local media report the loss was discovered during cataloging for an exhibition planned in Rome in October, as the museum prepares separate transfers to the Grand Egyptian Museum in November.