Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare, a new Netflix documentary, tells the terrifying eight-year story of Kirat Assi, a thirty-something marketing executive from London, England, who became a victim of the online scam known as “catfishing.”
A person who engages in catfishing creates or borrows an online identity to deceive their victim, usually in a romantic context. The revelation after Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare that Assi’s tormentor was her cousin and confidante, Simran Bhogal, makes her story all the more startling.
Bhogal’s incredibly complex network of deceit and lies persisted for almost ten years. Bhogal gradually gained Assi’s affection by pretending to be Bobby Jandu, who she knew was desperate for a marriage and kids, first on Facebook.
Bhogal was able to keep her protagonists apart by setting Bobby in Nairobi, Kenya, and then relocating him to New York while fabricating a string of strange incidents such as a shooting, signing up for a witness protection program, and a heart attack. She maintained a consistent online presence in the interim, which developed into a passionate romantic relationship and even a marriage proposal.
Discover Assi’s fate and Bhogal’s current actions following his admission of involvement in the deceptive plan in this blog.
What Happened To Kirat Assi?
In 2009, Bhogal’s ex-boyfriend JJ contacted Assi, a 29-year-old radio host, on Facebook to ask for tips on how to win her back. Assi learned that JJ had passed away due to an allergic reaction while they were messaging each other. According to The Guardian, Bhogal gave Assi JJ’s older brother Bobby’s contact information so that she could send her condolences.
Bobby, a dashing cardiologist from Kenya, added Assi as a friend on Facebook. Bobby is a fellow Sikh who has friends in their community with him. Despite numerous warning signs, Assi eventually fell in love with Bobby after years of messaging and thought she was in a relationship.
Bobby once stated that he was in a New York City witness protection program following his shooting in Kenya due to a botched business transaction. Additionally, he reportedly became ill with multiple life-threatening conditions, which prevented him from meeting her face-to-face and kept him in a hospital or New York.
Assi told the British website, “There was always an excuse why he couldn’t come to London”.” He claimed his phone was broken when we attempted to make a video call and made ridiculous justifications for why he could not obtain a replacement. “I’m not turning on my video either,” I said. That was my anger. Then, wanting to confirm that I was in my room, he would say, “Just turn it on for a minute so I can see you.”
Bobby began to dominate and control Assi. He began to give her instructions after keeping an eye on her movements. “Bobby would be like, ‘Where are you? Why aren’t you at home? Why aren’t you in your room?’ I didn’t understand why I was sitting at home if he wasn’t here. It was not like me at all.”
She went on to say, “He used to torture me by constantly testing my reactions to things. One day, he asked, ‘If I joined Isis, would you come with me?’ What was I suppose to say? If I say ‘no’, he will pick a fight with me, but he may have a heart attack. But saying ‘yes’ didn’t seem right either.”
How Kirat Assi Uncovered the True Identity of Her Catfisher?
Assi wondered why Bobby wouldn’t see her after three years of dating. She decided to confront him after consulting a private investigator and learning that his last known address was in Brighton.
The real Bobby, who consented to be interviewed for the Netflix documentary, claimed to have seen Kirat standing there when he opened the door. He had never met this woman before; he told his wife, Sanj. Bobby even questioned whether or not she was mistaken for his younger brother, JJ.
He stated in Sweet Bobby that they had to ascertain how she knew their names and residences for their safety. Assi, meanwhile, believed she had caught him red-handed—until her phone rang and Bobby answered. Assi was unsure of what to think.
Bhogal chose to report the catfish to the police after Assi turned to her and told her what had happened. “I’m afraid, and I want something on file in case something goes wrong, “I told them, ‘I’m scared; I want something on record just in case something happens.’ Bhogal sat next to me and verified everything to the police,” Bhogal admitted to being the phony Bobby the following day. “It was me, I was Bobby, I was all of them,” she said.
Simran’s elaborate catfishing scheme involved over 60 fictional characters she had created and woven together. To make the revelation even more challenging, she created fictitious profiles for Bobby’s friends, family, and coworkers, with whom Kirat began developing close relationships.
“Imagine somebody really close to you had suddenly died, and it’s not one person, it’s all of them. I had lost everybody,” Kirat said to The Guardian.“Normally, even if you lose a boyfriend, your girlfriends come and look after you.”
The Outcome of Simran Bhogal and Kirat Assi’s Catfishing Case: Explained
Simran Bhogal’s catfishing did not only affect Assi. According to Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare, the affair also involved her parents and close relatives. They were naturally eager to see their daughter get married, so they had no reason to doubt Facebook Bobby’s legitimacy.
Along with his wife and child, the real Bobby Jandu, whom Assi finds and confronts at the end of the documentary, is also a victim. However, Assi, currently in her 40s, is single and has no children due to the nearly ten-year lie.
Kirat Assi took her case to the police in 2018 after discovering Bhogal’s scheme. Still, they told her that Bobby was the true victim and declined to file charges because catfishing is not illegal. Unfazed, Assi filed a civil lawsuit against Bhogal in 2020, which was resolved out of court.
According to The Mirror, Bhogal tried to justify her actions in a letter of apology to the court, claiming that they related to “a family dispute” that happened when she “was a schoolgirl, over a decade ago.” She asserted that the case had caused her to lose money and experience health problems.
After the Kirat Assi case, where is Simran Bhogal now?
Since Bhogul’s in-person confession to Assi, the cousins have not communicated. Before Netflix noticed the case, podcaster Alexi Mostrous made the public aware.
He told Cosmopolitan that Bhogal was formerly a “high-powered” executive at Barclays Bank but had left on her own volition due to the case. She had given Assi a sizeable payment, which included Assi’s legal fees.
According to Radio Times, Bhogal was coerced into making a brief statement: “I strongly object to the numerous unfounded and seriously defamatory accusations that have been made about me, as well as details of private matters that have been shared with the media.” She has reportedly returned to her parent’s home in North London but has stayed quiet and out of the spotlight until Netflix’s Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare was in the works until then.
About Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare
Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare is a documentary that delves into the shocking catfishing story of Kirat Assi, a former radio presenter12. Assi was manipulated and deceived by someone posing as a man named Bobby Jandu in an elaborate online scheme that lasted nearly a decade34. The film sheds light on the complexities and traumas of catfishing, revealing how Assi’s virtual relationship upended her life for years5.
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