During the past week, the "Vardanants" statue complex depicting Vardan Mamikonyan and other notable Armenian figures that participated in the Battle of Avarair against the Persians in 451 AD was missing the 40 kilo sword held by General Mamikonyan. Eye witnesses state that on October 26, a group of men from the mayor’s office, led by Hovhannes Grqikyan, searched high and low for the sword that had unexpectedly gone missing. Theft was ruled out since it would have been easier to use a welding torch and detach the weapons held by Sahkanuysh or Ghevond Yerets, the other figures in the statute than remove the heavy sword standing eleven meters off the ground. They frantic search was soon rewarded when they found out that an alert security guard from the restaurant "Slavyansky Dvor", opposite the statue, saw the sword slip and fall from the statue and took it to the restaurant for safe keeping, obviously forgetting to report the incident the following day. On October 28, the sword was returned to a waiting General Mamikonyan.