Noida, August 06, 2007 - The alleged mastermind of the multi-crore land scam in the capital, Ashok Malhotra, was today arrested by CBI after he surfaced at the Zee News studio, Noida.

Appearing on Zee News, Malhotra had offered to surrender on the condition that the central investigative agency interrogate him in the presence of a legal team.

Refuting allegations of any association with politicians and any involvement in the land scam, the Delhi-based contractor said he had gone underground "fearing for his life".

“I am not a political person,” said Malhotra when asked about his alleged links with the leaders like Harron Yusuf and Jagdish Tytler.

Rejecting media reports about owning 52 cars, Malhotra said, he owned only 17 cars and 6 motorcycles. He further added that getting VIP numbers for his cars was his passion and nothing else should be associated with it. However, Malhotra did reveal that MLA Surinder Pal Singh Bittu is close to him and the latter helped him in acquring the VIP car numbers.

When asked about his wealth and the accusations that he has amassed thousand of crores through illegal land dealings, Malhotra claimed that his property is not even worth Rs 10 crore and that all of it is well documented.

Accusing CBI of lying about his involvement in land scam, Malhotra’s lawyer Ashok Soni said that the CBI has not even mentioned it in the FIR. He further clarified that no papers pertaining to land scam has been found at his clients’ residence during the raid.

Several teams of CBI officials had been conducting searches across Delhi and other areas outside the national capital in the past few days to nab Malhotra, who has been evading questioning despite being summoned by the agency to appear before it.

The agency had yesterday secured a non-bailable warrant from a city court against the contractor. Special Judge S K Kaushik also asked the investigating agency to produce him before the court on or before 14 August.

Malhotra is accused of having entered into a criminal conspiracy with five DDA officials in fraudulently acquiring plots in Dhirpur area that were meant for resettlement of slum dwellers during 2000-02.

The CBI is examining voluminous documents recovered during raids at Malhotra`s residential premises in Mukherjee Nagar locality and other places here, sources said.

Malhotra has been taken to the CBI headquarters in New Delhi for questioning and would be later produced in court.

Meanwhile, three Delhi Congress MLAs, Haroon Yousuf, Harvinder Singh Lovely and A K Walia have been summoned to 10 Janpath. It is also being reported that Congress leader Ahmad Patel will hold talks with Delhi CM shiela Dikshit over the scam issue.