Two men charged with stealing $200k from Calgary cricket league

FILE - A Calgary Police Service logo is seen on a vehicle parked at headquarters in Calgary, Alta., April 9, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

By Michael Ranger

Posted Mar 12, 2025 7:47 pm.

Two men are facing charges after allegedly stealing around $200,000 from a Calgary cricket league.

Calgary police say they began investigating in 2017 when the newly appointed president of the Calgary & District Cricket League (C&DCL) noticed issues with the league’s financial records.

After finding a number of discrepancies during an internal review, the league’s president called reported the concerns to police.

Police say their investigation found the former treasurer and former president of the C&DCL stole around $200,000 between January 2014 and December 2016 through cheque payments to construction businesses the pair had connections to.

The cheque payments were made under the guise of repairing the clubhouse and cricket grounds at Riley Park in northwest Calgary, but, according to police, the repair work was never finished, or “done to a substandard quality.”

Police also allege the costs for the repair work was inflated.

Ontario residents Salman Khan Shahzad, 46, and Syed Wajahat Ali, 45, are facing one count each of fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000. Both are scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

“This was a multi-jurisdictional investigation involving individuals who were out-of-province and required several production orders and warrants that were executed in relation to the investigation,” reads a release from Calgary police.

Anyone with additional information is urged to call police at 403-266-1234, or submit tips to CrimeStoppers anonymously.

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