Inmate and jail guard investigated, but not charged in Project South alleged murder plot

An inmate and a correctional ship's officer at Toronto due south custody Centre were investigated for potency involvement in an alleged confederacy to kill a senior correctional officer at the jail, according to an Information to Obtain (ITO) application supporting more than 50 warrants in the Project South police investigation.

The legal document, sworn in early February, alleges that correctional officer Nishwant Dosanjh maintained "a long-standing personal relationship" with inmate Gurpreet Singh that predated Singh's incarceration at the Toronto jail. 

Neither Dosanjh nor Singh have been charged in connection with Project South, and the allegations concerning them in the ITO have not been tested in court.

Singh has been held at the Toronto jail since his October 2024 arrest amid allegations he acted as an accomplice in a drug-smuggling organization allegedly involving killings and led by alleged cocaine kingpin Ryan Wedding. Singh is fighting extradition to California.

The ITO alleges Dosanjh told a colleague about expensive gifts, payment for cosmetic surgery and travel she received from Singh. It also alleges that Dosanjh arranged her schedule to work in the area where Singh was housed as often as possible.

"Singh appears to exercise a degree of influence if not power over Dosanjh, which is anomalous given their roles," wrote Det. Const. Antonio D'Onofrio, the police affiant in the ITO.

Police officers use ITO applications to lay out the evidence of a potential criminal offence when seeking authorization for a warrant or production order from a judge or justice of the peace. 

Ontario Superior Court Justice Laura Bird lifted the ban on some details in the 563-page record Friday in Newmarket, Ont., court. Bird is expected to continue hearing arguments later this month over the remaining contested information. The Crown and other parties want most of the ITO to remain under a publication ban.

Project South began in June 2025, when York Regional Police thwarted an alleged plot to kill a senior correctional officer.

Investigators also discovered that a Toronto police officer had allegedly shared confidential information about the senior correctional officer with a civilian. Police have said that person then provided the information to others charged in the alleged conspiracy.

York Regional Police subsequently carried out a months-long investigation into police corruption and organized crime, leading to the February ITO. 

Based on the ITO application, a judge authorized 57 warrants. York investigators executed the warrants as part of the operation that led to the arrests of seven serving Toronto police officers, one retired officer and 19 civilians in connection with Project South.

The charges against those accused have not been tested in court.

Some warrants involved people who have not been criminally charged, including three Peel Regional Police officers, a Toronto police officer and Dosanjh.

Police executed two warrants related to Dosanjh: one authorizing a search of her home for cellphones and other electronic devices, and another authorizing a search of Dosanjh for a cellphone.

"Ms. Dosanjh has not been charged criminally, and there is no indication criminal charges will ever be laid," wrote Schofield. "Ms. Dosanjh denies any allegations of criminal or professional misconduct and adamantly maintains her complete innocence."

In an emailed statement, Singh's lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said his client "has not been charged with any offence in Canada more than four months after the execution of the February warrants."

Greenspan also said no hearing has yet been held on the merits of the request to extradite Singh to California.

Both Singh and his current girlfriend were interviewed by York Regional Police in connection with Project South, according to the ITO.

Investigators went to the Toronto South Detention Centre and spoke to Singh about the alleged conspiracy to commit murder on Jan. 19.

"When asked if he had any knowledge or information to provide about the incident, Singh refused to answer any questions," the legal document reads. 

The ITO says that after the interview, Singh sought out Dosanjh and his former cellmate "and engaged in an extended conversation with them." 

In addition to that conversation, a detention centre supervisor and Project South investigators "observed a frequent pattern" in which Dosanjh met with Singh and then immediately went to a different range of the jail to meet with Singh's former cellmate, according to the ITO.

D'Onofrio, the police affiant, wrote that the "pattern is also outside the norm for CO/inmate contact in general and different from Dosanjh's interactions with other inmates."

The ITO also refers to earlier judicial authorizations in Project South, including orders to intercept private communications.

The orders were obtained to capture conversations involving people charged in the case, inmate telephone calls and private discussions involving people who have not been charged in Project South, including Dosanjh and Singh.

Asked whether Dosanjh and Singh remain under investigation, a York Regional Police spokesperson said the service is could not provide details because Project South remains active and ongoing.

Schofield said her client has been on paid leave since February while officials investigate allegations Dosanjh made against another staff member at the Toronto South Detention Centre.

---

---