On arresting the four suspects the police found the stolen antiquities with them, the ministry’s statement said.

The Ministry of Interior explained that one of the students had opened the museum's door using a steel chisel, whereas the second blocked the surveillance cameras and seized the pieces.

The third student hid the stolen items in her car.

The artefacts were later handed to the father of one the students who planned to sell them.

The interior ministry said the suspects confessed that they intended to benefit financially from selling these artefacts.  

Egyptian law imposes both hefty fines on unauthorised dealing in antiquities, including stealing and smuggling them, and sentences of up to 25 years in prison.