Kirat Assi was the victim of an elaborate catfishing scheme for almost a decade, which is now the focus of Netflix’s new documentary: Sweet Bobby: My catfish nightmare. The film follows Tortoise Media’s 2021 multi-part podcast series, which exposed the inner workings of “one of the most advanced catfishes in the world.”

The former radio host was duped for almost a decade by someone from her inner circle posing as a man named Bobby Jandu. The real Bobby Jandu, also part of their Sikh community in London, was unaware that his identity was being stolen to defraud her.

The connection between Assi and the fake Bobby started in 2010 as a Facebook friendship that turned into a serious romantic relationship. However, whenever she tried to meet Bobby in person, he always had an excuse. It was eventually revealed that the identity of the conman was Assi’s cousin, Simran Bhogal.

By The Tinder scammer producer Raw television, Sweet Bobby: My catfish nightmare lets viewers experience what Assi went through “with photos, screenshots and exclusive interviews with Assi herself and those who watched the doomed relationship unfold in real time,” according to Netflix’s Tudum.

Read on to find out what happened to Assi and what Bhogal does now after admitting to the manipulative plan.

What happened to Kirat Assi?

In 2009, Assi, then a 29-year-old radio host, was contacted on Facebook by Bhogal’s ex-boyfriend, JJ, who was looking for advice on how to win her back. As they exchanged messages, Assi was told that JJ had died of an allergic reaction. Bhogal provided Assi with the contact details of JJ’s older brother, Bobby, so she could express her condolences, according to The Guardian.

Assi received a Facebook friend request from Bobby, a handsome cardiologist from Kenya. Bobby is a fellow Sikh and shares mutual friends within their community. After messaging for years, Assi eventually fell in love with Bobby and considered herself in a relationship, despite many warning signs along the way.

At one point, Bobby claimed he was entering a witness protection program in New York City after being shot in Kenya over a failed business deal. He also reportedly developed numerous life-threatening illnesses, meaning he was in the hospital or in New York and unable to meet her in person.

“There was always an excuse why he couldn’t come to London,” Assi told the British site. “When we tried to make a video call, he told me his phone was broken and gave extraordinary excuses as to why he couldn’t get a new one. I said, “I’m not turning on my video either.” That was me being angry. He would say, ‘Turn it on so I can see you,’ because he wanted to make sure I was in my room.”

Bobby began to control and manipulate Assi. He followed her movements and started telling her what to do. “Bobby would say, ‘Where are you? Why aren’t you at home? Why aren’t you in your room?’ I didn’t understand why I sat at home when he wasn’t there. It didn’t look like me at all.”

She continued: ‘He was constantly testing my reactions to things, it was part of him torturing me. One day he asked, “If I were to join Isis, would you come with me?” What was I supposed to say? If I say no, he will pick a fight with me, but he may have a heart attack (consider his life-threatening medical condition). But saying ‘yes’ didn’t feel right either.”

How did Kirat Assi discover the identity of her Catfisher?

Three years into their relationship, Assi became suspicious about why Bobby refused to see her. After asking a private investigator, she discovered that his last known address was in Brighton, so she decided to confront him.

The real Bobby, who agreed to be interviewed for the Netflix documentary, said that when he opened the door, he saw Kirat standing there. He told his wife Sanj that he had never met this woman before. Bobby even asked if she was confusing him with his younger brother, JJ.

In the Dear Bobbyhe said, that for their own protection they should find out how she knew their names and where they lived. Meanwhile, Assi thought she had caught him red-handed, until her phone rang and Bobby was on the other line. Assi didn’t know what to believe.

Assi turned to Bhogal to tell her what had happened, and she decided to report the catfish to the police. “I told them, ‘I’m scared, I want to put something on record in case something happens.’ (Bhogal) sat next to me and verified everything with the police,” Assi recalled to The Guardian. The next day, Bhogal confessed to being the fake Bobby. “She said, it was me, I was Bobby, I was all of them.”

Simran’s catfish scheme was so extensive that it included more than 60 fictional characters that she created and intertwined. She created fake profiles for Bobby’s friends, colleagues and relatives, with whom Kirat began to form close relationships, which made the revelation more difficult.

“Imagine that someone very close to you has suddenly died, and it’s not one person, it’s all people. I had lost everyone,” Kirat told The Guardian. “Normally, even if you lose a friend, your friends come and take care of you.”

Has Simran Bhogal had any problems with catfish?

When Assi initially reported Bhogal to the police, they told her that she was not the victim, but the real Bobby. Bhogal has not been criminally charged because there is no law against catfish.

A small victory for Assi came in 2020, when she took Bhogal to civil court for harassment, misuse of private information and data protection breaches. Bhogal was ordered to pay Assi “substantial damages” and legal costs and write her a personal apology letter.

According to Today.com, police ultimately decided to reopen Assi’s case. “It’s happening, but it’s happening very, very slowly,” Assi said. “I was hoping it would happen before the documentary, but yeah, it didn’t happen.”

Assi’s lawyer, Yair Cohen, told Today that he is also representing the “real Bobby” in a “separate proceeding” against Bhogal.

Where is Simran Bhogal now?

It is not known what Simran Bhogal is doing now. When the Dear Bobby podcast was released, Simran was reportedly engaged, traveled frequently and worked at a company in London. People reported that Simran was promoted to vice president at an established British bank at some point in the investigative series.

However, in the latest episode of the podcast, which aired in November 2021, it was revealed that Simran had reportedly left her job. She has also deleted all her social media profiles and no longer has an online presence.

Responding to the podcast, Simran and her lawyers said in a statement to Tortoise Media: “This matter concerns a family dispute over events that began over a decade ago when I was a schoolgirl. As far as I am concerned, this is a private family matter that has been resolved, and I strongly object to the numerous unfounded and seriously defamatory allegations made about me, as well as details of private matters shared with the police. media.”

Assi no longer cares why her cousin catfished her. Now she wants Simran to take responsibility for what she did. “I just want her to take responsibility for her actions, put her hands up and just say, ‘Look, I did this.’ Tell us how she did it and hold herself accountable,” she told Today.

Sweet Bobby: My catfish nightmare is now streaming on Netflix.