Chandigarh, June 2 -- In a surprising twist to the usual trend, registration number "0003" of the CH01-DE series emerged as the highest bidder, fetching Rs.37.63 lakh at the e-auction conducted by the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA), Chandigarh.

Traditionally considered the most sought-after number, "0001" settled for the second-highest bid of Rs.23.55 lakh in the auction, which concluded on Monday.

The RLA auctioned registration numbers from the new CH01-DE series, ranging from 0001 to 9999, along with leftover fancy and special numbers from previous series between May 30 and June 1. Around 681 registration numbers were auctioned, generating a revenue of Rs.4.13 crore.

Among other high-value numbers, "0009" fetched Rs.12.30 ...