DUBAI A two-day auction in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for 88 "distinguished" car number plates netted a staggering 44 million dirhams (12 million dollars), a newspaper reported Wednesday.

The auction staged by Dubai police, a first in the affluent Emirate, raked in 3.7 million dollars for the numbers 2-9 and double digits such as 11, 22 and 33, and 8.7 million dollars for 72 numbers between 12 and 98, ****Gulf News**** said.

The numbers 2 and 10 fetched the highest price of 338,000 dollars each, while the Khoori trading family paid out more than 1.2 million dollars for the tens from 20 to 70.

"The purchases were not for commercial purposes but for the buyers' personal use," said Abdul Rahim Ramadan Khoori. "We may buy new cars to fit the distinguished number plates."

Trader Mohammad Ali Hassan Ali al-Marzuqi, however, bought numbers 10, 80, 90 and 23 for 800,000 dollars as an investment.