Chandigarh, Sept. 21 -- Taken out of the country illegally, as many as 16 heritage items from Chandigarh were auctioned for Rs.3.93 crore in France on September 18.

Officials said the auctioned articles were designed by Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret, cousin of Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, who planned Chandigarh.

These included a pair of easy chairs, a periodical bookcase, a demountable desk, a pair of writing desk chairs, a demountable daybed, a bench, a dining table, a storage unit, a set of three stools, a fireside sofa, a pair of fireside armchairs, a sewing stool, a pair of file rack storage units, a coffee table, a pair of advocate armchairs and a committee chair.

The bookcase fetched the highest amount of Rs.40.70 lakh...