An alert security guard at the Punjab Engineering College (PEC) saved several pieces of furniture designed by Le Corbusier from being sold to a junk dealer last month. While a committee has been formed to look into the “carelessness”, it remains a mystery as to how did the rare furniture find its way to the junk dealer.

A complaint has been filed at the Sector-11 police station and the police are investigating the matter.

During the second week of January, the civil engineering department of PEC had held an auction of its junk goods. The dealer, however, came to collect the auctioned materials only on January 27. As the vehicle carrying the goods was leaving the campus, the police said, the security guard stopped it at the gate as he felt something was amiss. On examining the truck, he found that the goods being taken away were more in volume than what had been auctioned. Even as the dealer tried to bribe the security guard, he did not budge and informed senior officials who immediately confiscated the goods, the police said.