For years, Kalwinder “Kal” Dosanjh built his public identity around one message: keep young people away from gangs, drugs and crime. A longtime Vancouver police officer, youth mentor and founder of a charitable foundation, Dosanjh became a familiar figure in British Columbia’s South Asian community. He spoke to young people about the dangers of gangs, organised sports programmes and presented himself as someone trying to give troubled teenagers a different path in life.Dosanjh started his career as a police officer in 2000, and worked as a detective as well apart from serving in the traffic section, the domestic violence unit, and the financial crime unit, according to his LinkedIn profile. Dosanjh was one of the officers featured in the reality show The Beat from 2010 to 2012 about police work on the Downtown Eastside.But now that carefully built reputation has been thrown into turmoil after he was arrested on September 3 on charges of nine criminal offences: four counts of fraud over C$5,000, four counts of theft over C$5,000 and one count of breach of trust. Police say the alleged conduct occurred between 2017 and 2025. He was suspended from the department. He was out on bail after appearing in the court.“This officer had a profile in the community and internally, and officers are angry and disappointed. It is deeply distressing when the actions of one individual cast a shadow over the tremendous work of so many dedicated professionals who serve our city with honour each and every day. Incidents like these are profoundly troubling and inconsistent with the values of our organization,” Rai said.
Investigation against Dosanjh
The investigation, according to police, had been running for around two and a half years. Authorities said complaints about Dosanjh were received in December 2023, although investigators believe the alleged scheme may have started as early as 2017. Police said a number of people came forward claiming that Dosanjh had withheld their money. However, investigators said many complainants were initially unable to provide sufficient evidence establishing where the funds had come from.As the investigation progressed, police said they identified an alleged $3 million scheme involving 19 people.The case has raised questions about Dosanjh’s activities outside his police duties, including whether the alleged conduct had any connection with his nonprofit organisation. Rai declined to provide details, saying the matter was now before the courts.
‘Rise and fall’ of Dosanjh
Dosanjh has built a public profile beyond policing through his efforts to work with young people and steer them away from crime and gang involvement. That background has made the allegations particularly striking for the Vancouver police leadership.In 2015, Dosanjh set up KidsPlay Foundation, an NGO to give young people alternatives through sports, recreation, volunteering and mentorship.His profile grew beyond the police department. He became a prominent youth advocate and community figure and received recognition for his work. In 2022, the BC Achievement Foundation described his vision for youth as helping “build and lift up a generation” and honoured him as a community award recipient.In a 2023 TEDx talk, Dosanjh said more than 100,000 kids had been through the Kids Play Foundation’s programs free of charge, and it had expanded to other cities in Canada and internationally, to Colombia and India. He told the TEDx audience he was inspired to start the foundation after working in the city’s Downtown Eastside and watching young people being devastated by drugs. “I realized we need to do something different, something better to help these kids,” he said at the time.Dosanjh’s lawyer has rejected the allegations and maintained that his client is innocent. The lawyer has also argued that it would be inappropriate to judge Dosanjh’s character before the court reaches a decision. None of the allegations against Dosanjh have been proven in court.Dosanjh’s wife, Sandy Dosanjh, said they did nothing wrong and they has been serving the community over 10 years. “We haven’t committed any crime. I and Kal, we’ve been serving this community over 10 years now at our own time,” Sandy Dosanjh told Omni News. The Conservative Party of Surrey announced on Friday that Sandy Dosanjh, who was running for a seat as a city councillor, was no longer a candidate.Sandy said the police investigation was related to her “standing up as a councillor because maybe there are people who doesn’t want to disclose what’s going on behind the scenes.”According to annual reports filed with the Canada Revenue Agency, which are available publicly, the Kids Play Youth Foundation raised more than $1.6 million in the past five years through donations and from some government grants. Just under $560,000 of that money went to expenses, including compensation, office supplies and travel, according to the filings. The last annual report was filed for the period ending on May 31, 2025.Vancouver Sun cited property and court records searches and reported that Dosanjh had been president of West Point Pacific Construction (64th Ave) Ltd. since its incorporation in 2018 with two other people, including Sarabjit Gill, a co-accused who has also been charged with fraud and theft. The company was dissolved on June 29, 2026, for failure to file reports.
