sweet bobby took the podcasting world by storm in 2021, and now a shocking catfishing scheme is at the center of Netflix’s latest documentary.
Tortoise Media’s six-part investigative podcast followed the story of Kirat Assa, a radio host who was duped for almost a decade by Bobby Jandu, a man she met on Facebook and with whom she developed an intimate relationship.
Although Bobby is a real person, the individual Kirat was communicating with was someone from her inner circle who orchestrated what Tortoise Media described as “the most sophisticated catfishing operation” they had ever encountered. After more than a decade, Kirat finally learns the truth about the person on the other side of her screen: her cousin Simran Bhogal has been hunting her all along.
“It was a slow destruction of everything I had. Bobby targeted every part of my life – my career, my dreams, my hopes, my relationship with my family, my friends, my studies,” she told The Guardian in January 2022. “I could meet someone right, give birth to a child during that time. But the other impact was on my mental and physical health.”
Now the story has been revived on Netflix Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmarewhich is now available for streaming. From the same producers from 2022 Tinder scammerthe documentary series gives viewers a closer look at Kirat’s traumatic experience through photographs, screenshots, voicemails and exclusive interviews with her and those who witnessed the development of the relationship.
Here’s everything you need to know about Kirat Assi’s catfishing story and where her catfish is today.
Who is the real Bobby Jandu?
Bobby Jandu.
Netflix
Kirat’s story began in 2010 when she received a Facebook friend request from Bobby Jandu, a successful cardiologist from Kenya. Like Kirat, Bobby is Sikh, so the couple had several connections within their community.
As it turns out, Bobby is a real person, but he has never met or spoken to Kirat and was unaware that his identity was being used to trick her.
In real life, Bobby works as a dentist in Brighton, England, where he lives with his wife and son. According to his biography on Dental Essence, he graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2008, just two years before the catfishing scheme began.
Despite his initial reluctance, Bobby agreed to be interviewed for sweet bobby podcast, and has also been featured in Netflix documentary series.
Who is the fake Bobby Jandu?
Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare.
Netflix
The person who had been pretending to be Bobby all those years was actually Kirat’s cousin, Simran Boghal—a revelation that shocked both Kirat and sweet bobbyhas millions of listeners.
Simran was only 17 years old when she started hunting her older cousin, with whom she was on good terms at the time. Simran and Kirat’s families go back a long way, and Simran’s dad was even the best man at Kirat’s parents’ wedding. In the podcast, Kirat described Simran as a “perfect daughter” and “a girl we were always proud of”, noting that she was the head girl at her school and fit the stereotype of the “good little South Asian Punjabi Sikh girl”.
As the catfishing scheme unfolded over time, Kirat and Simran became even closer, with the latter even offering Kirat emotional support and validating Bobby’s feelings for her.
Finally, in 2018, Simran admitted to being Bobby, but Kirat’s struggles didn’t end there.
How did Simran Bhogal catch the Kirat Assi catfish?
What made Simran’s catfishing scheme so believable were the more than 60 fictional characters she created and wove into a complex web of lies. These characters included Bobby’s friends, co-workers and family members, with whom Kirat also formed close relationships, making breaking the illusion all the more painful for her.
“Imagine that someone very close to you suddenly died, not just one person, but all of them. I lost everything,” said Kirat The Guardian. “Normally, even if you lose your boyfriend, your girlfriends come and protect you.”
Why did Simran Bhogal catch Kirat Assi’s catfish?
Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare.
Netflix
To this day, Kirat still doesn’t know why her cousin directed her to this catfishing scheme, nor has Simran offered a public explanation on the matter.
Alex the Monstrous, sweet bobbyThe presenter interviewed several psychologists trying to understand Simran’s motives, but her profile confused even the experts. While talking to Monstrous, Kirat discovered that Simran had written her a private letter of apology, the contents of which she cannot legally disclose. Although Kirat felt the apology was insincere, it gave some insight into Simran’s motivation.
“She used a phrase that bothered me,” Kirat recalled. “She honestly believed that we were both in a dark place and that living in this kind of fantasy world that she created would bring happiness and joy to both of us.”
Did Simran Bhogal face criminal charges?
Simran was never charged with any crime related to her catfishing scheme. When she first confessed in 2018, Kirat immediately went to the police, but they eventually dismissed her claims because catfishing is not considered a crime in the UK.
In 2020, Kirat won a significant settlement in a civil suit against Simran for harassment, misuse of private information and data breach. Despite this small victory, Kirat remained committed to telling her story in hopes of achieving justice for herself and other victims of catfishing.
In response to the podcast, Simran and her lawyers provided the following statement to Tortoise Media: “This matter relates to a family dispute over events that began over ten years ago when I was a little girl. As far as I am concerned, this is a private family matter that has been resolved and I strongly object to the numerous baseless and seriously defamatory allegations that have been made against me, as well as the details of private matters that we have shared with the media.”
Has Simran Bhogal caught anyone else?
Kirat Assi.
Netflix
During episode 4 of sweet bobbya former classmate of Simran claimed to the podcast host that Simran was caught creating fake Facebook profiles at school, which the classmate speculated was an attempt to gain popularity and attention.
Where is Simran Bhogal now?
When sweet bobby first time running, Simran lived the life of a typical twenty-year-old girl. According to the podcast, she was engaged, traveled frequently and worked at a top firm in London. At one point during the series, Simran was even promoted to Vice President at a famous British bank.
In the last episode, which aired in November 2021, Monstrous reported that Simran had left her job due to unknown reasons. Her social media profiles have since been deleted, and she now lives completely under the radar, with almost no online presence.
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Source: HIS Education