When it comes to true crime, Netflix reigns supreme. The streaming platform is home to a slew of original documentaries, all of which look into real-life happenings that have shaken individuals, communities, and even the world. And it’s no different with the latest offering, Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare.
Dropping on Netflix on the 16 October, the doc chronicles, what is thought to be, the longest-running and most complex case of catfishing ever. Quite aptly produced by Raw, the company that gave us The Tinder Swindler, and executive produced by Rebecca North, whose credits include American Nightmare, the latest special is sure to baffle even the most diehard of true crime heads.
So, let’s take a deeper look into the story behind Sweet Bobby, and unpack exactly what happened…
What is Sweet Bobby about?
The Netflix documentary is based on a 2021 podcast also titled Sweet Bobby, which was created by Tortoise Media. The episodes explore 43-year-old radio presenter and marketer Kirat Assi’s experience with catfishing, which is when someone uses a false identity to start an online relationship.
In a nutshell, for the best part of 10 years, Kirat was duped into a serious relationship with a doctor named Bobby Jandu. So serious that they were even engaged, despite having never met, spoken on the phone, or even video-called.
The podcast synopsis reads: “Kirat is a successful radio presenter. On Facebook, she meets Bobby, a handsome cardiologist. He’s a catch. Soon, they get tangled up in a love affair full of lies and manipulation. Then… Kirat discovers an online deception of almost unimaginable proportions.”
Sounds like the plot of a compelling thriller, right? Sadly, it’s the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Is Sweet Bobby a true story?
In 2010, Kirat received a friend request from a man named Bobby. She accepted due to having mutual friends on the platform, and him being an apparent acquaintance from her wider Sikh community in London.
At first, the two only engaged in friendly messages, with Bobby immediately disclosing that he was married and had a child on the way. However, he quickly began confiding in Kirat when his marriage started to ‘break down,’ and the pair became friends.
As their relationship progressed, naturally, Kirat wanted to take things to the next level (a.ka. actually meet in person). While the pair did plan to meet on multiple occasions, Bobby never saw it through. Rather, he fabricated many twisted stories as to why they were unable to get together. The first was in November 2013 (they were still just friends at this point, before becoming “official” on Valentine’s Day in 2015), when Kirat received a Facebook message saying Bobby had been shot and was in a coma. Two months later in early 2014, she was told that he had died.
To deal with her grief, Kirat revealed that she joined a Facebook group with 39 of Bobby’s friends. Which, she later learned were all fake accounts of people who never existed. Then, in a surreal turn of events, Bobby ‘came back to life’ a few months later, claiming he had been put in a witness protection programme after faking his own death.
Other excuses (see: controlling behaviours he used to dominate Kirat) included a brain tumour in 2015, shortly followed by a stroke, and later a heart attack. All of which were corroborated by Bobby’s ‘consultant,’ who was also in contact with Kirat throughout his health scares. Again, he never existed either.
In addition to this, whenever Kirat broached the subject of them meeting, Bobby would threaten to commit suicide to control her. In 2017, Kirat revealed he had become so controlling that she had to be signed off sick from work due to stress.
The creepiest part of the whole thing was that during these relationship struggles, Kirat confided in her cousin, Simran Bhogal.
How did Kirat Assi find out she was being catfished?
After nearly 10 years of being with Bobby, Kirat finally began to realise that things weren’t quite right and went searching for answers. She hired a private detective who found the address of the ‘real’ Bobby, who had also unknowingly been a victim of catfishing and online identity theft.
When Kirat went to Bobby’s address to confront him, he genuinely had no idea what was happening or who she was. Soon, Kirat realised that the whole thing had been one big lie and that her relationship with ‘Bobby’ had never existed. So, who had she been communicating with all these years?
Turns out, it was Kirat’s cousin Simran, who only admitted to the deceit when Kirat and Bobby went to the police to report the case in 2018.
What was the outcome of the Sweet Bobby case?
Despite the immense distress and emotional turmoil Simran’s actions caused, no charges were made against her. This is because catfishing is not recognised as a criminal offence in the UK. Due to this, there have been no charges made against her since. However, the final episode of the Sweet Bobby podcast did suggest that the case could be reopened, as the original investigation neglected to properly consider Kirat’s evidence.
In 2020, Kirat brought a civil action case against Simran which was settled out of court. According to Bustle, the settlement included an apology letter to Kirat, which was issued by Simran’s lawyers. She was also reportedly made to pay Kirat “substantial damages,” as well as cover her legal costs.
Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare is now on Netflix
Sophie Williams is a Freelance Journalist and Copywriter, covering everything from Fashion to Entertainment to music, Lifestyle and Features. She has interviewed a range of musical artists and authors including Alyssa Edwards, Courtney Barnett, Confidence Man, The Vaccines, Loyle Carner, Gabrielle, and John Niven, and has written for publications like Metro, Reader’s Digest, ITV’s Woo! and Vice’s NBGA. She is also working on a book for HarperCollins about Taylor Swift, due to be published in 2024.
