Toronto, July 23 - A Canadian man who won $44.4 million in a lottery here Monday, landed in jail rather than enjoy wild parties after winning the jackpot.

Barry Shell, 45, who lives in the Indian-dominant city of Brampton on the outskirts of Toronto, was handcuffed immediately after he pocketed the cheque for the windfall.

The reason: he had an arrest warrant pending against him since 2003 for failing to appear in court to face charges of theft and illegal property.

Police swung into action as the man was posing for photographs after accepting the cheque for $4,377,298 (more than Rs.13 crore) at the provincial Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) headquarters here.

Police told him of the pending arrest warrant. A shell-shocked Shell was handcuffed and put behind bars.

He was produced in court to face charges of contempt for failing to appear before it, theft of $5,000 and possessing illegal property.

Under the strict lottery laws here, a jackpot winner is thoroughly investigated before he or she is handed over the cheque to prevent misuse of the newly acquired wealth.