A woman has shared the voice message she recorded as a ‘farewell’ to a man she believed was dying from a stroke – only to realise she had been catfished years later.
A new true crime documentary has laid bare the horrors of one Kirat Assi’s nine-year ordeal – making her believe than the man she was in a relationship had faked his death.
She spent nearly a whole decade believing she was communicating online with a doctor named Bobby Jandu; first starting as friendship before blooming into more
Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare – which is out today on Netflix – recounted the elaborate deceit she was embroiled in, from the imposter creating some 60 Facebook profiles to keep validating various lies and even proposing to her, to sending her a man’s T-shirt sprayed with aftershave, that she was convinced belonged to her lover.
But in reality, the persona was being managed by her female cousin, Simran Bhogal; whom Kirat had been confiding about her relationship troubles to. In the documentary, Simran is portrayed by an actor.
In a new Netflix documentary out today, titled Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare, Kirat recounted the elaborate deceit she was embroiled in
As part of the bizarre ploy, Kirat was made to believe that Bobby had been shot and placed in the Witness Protection Programme in New York – before later suffering a stroke.
While she and him were only platonic at this stage in their online messaging, they were speaking often, and confiding in one another.
Tragedy struck when Rajvir – another profile orchestrated by Simran – messaged Kirat to send a picture of ‘Bobby’ in a hospital bed – covered by wires and medical equipment.
He encouraged her to send a ‘farewell message’ for Bobby, which an emotional Kirat played in the documentary.
In it, she said: ‘I love you so much Bobby. Whatever it is we have, it’s special. I wish things could have been different. If I could just hold you once I’ll never forget you.
‘I love you Bobby.’
The programme looks at the horrific ordeal Kirat was put through for nine years – even believing she and Bobby were engaged – before realising her cousin was behind all their communications.
The ‘couple’ – who are both in the Kenyan South Asian Sikh community in the UK – would at points speak on the phone nearly daily, the conversations at time becoming sexual, and endured shocking circumstances.
As part of the bizarre ploy, Kirat was made to believe that Bobby had been shot and placed in the Witness Protection Programme in New York – before later suffering a stroke. The bizarre scene recreated in the Netflix documentary
Kirat spent nearly a whole decade believing she was communicating online with a doctor named Bobby Jandu; first starting as friendship before blooming into more
Both Kirat and the real life Bobby were in separate romantic relationships when the ploy started. Pictured: The real Bobby
‘Bobby’ eventually became obsessive and controlling, leaving Kirat suffering from chest pains and being signed off work due to stress.
In the documentary, Kirat recounted the bizarre lengths her cousin – who knew Bobby because she briefly dated his brother JJ – went to to connect her to the fake persona.
It is believed to be one of the longest-running and most complex case of catfishing to have come to light because the deception involved creating not just one person, but an entire community.
In 2009, Kirat, a prominent member of London’s Sikh community, was working as an arts and events assistant for Hounslow Community Services and presenting a show on Radio Desi, a station for the Punjabi community.
Both Kirat and the real life Bobby were in separate romantic relationships when the ploy started. And when Bobby got engaged, Kirat was even invited to his wedding – through the catfish’s account – as he tied the knot with a woman called Sanj in Kenya, in 2012.
However, things took a dark turn when Kirat suddenly heard that Bobby had been ‘shot’ in Kenya – and was in a coma.
‘I feel sick seeing something like that,’ she told the documentary. ‘And I was so worried about him.’
She continued: ‘Then one day, I’m at work, I get a call from Simran that changes everything. Absolutely everything.
Kirat revealed she ‘tried to be there’ for Bobby, but also at the time faced her own troubles. After 18 years, her own romantic relationship ended
But in reality, the profile – and those of some 50 others in the fake network of his ‘friends’ – was being managed by her female cousin, Simran Bhogal (far right); whom Kirat had been confiding about her relationship troubles to
‘She tells me Bobby’s in Witness Protection in a hospital in New York recovering from his awful injuries.
‘I didn’t understand. Apparently he was escorted from Nairobi to New York with the support of Interpol.
‘I understood for someone to be in witness protection there had to be some kind of threat to life. Bobby’s from a well known family and some of the photos and things I’ve seen online show wealth, which is why he might be targeted.
‘People being shot in Kenya wasn’t unusual. It’s less common now but even in my own friends and family circle people have been murdered or killed.
‘I just thought after the shooting incident his powerful family had to get him out of danger.’
Suddenly, a new Facebook profile popped up, which Bobby was messaging Kirat from – apparently, against the advice of the witness protection programme, and wasn’t ‘coping’ well.
Kirat revealed she ‘tried to be there’ for Bobby, but also at the time faced her own troubles. After 18 years, her own romantic relationship ended.
‘Bobby would always check in on me even though he was struggling with his health,’ she recounted.
Four years into online messaging, Bobby had even confessed his love for Kirat – but she simply ignored it at the time, believing he wasn’t in the right space.
In 2022, she told the Sunday Times that she wanted catfishing to be taken more seriously as a deterrent to online fraudsters. Pictured, Kirat
Simran – posing as Bobby (pictured, the real Bobby) – even called Kirat as she was physically talking to the real Bobby at his house
It wasn’t until after his ‘stroke’ that their relationship then turned romantic, in what Kirat explained was their ‘honeymoon’ phase.
They would constantly text each other sweet messages. One Valentine’s Day ‘Bobby’ wrote: ‘With a woman like you in my life I really am the luckiest man in the world.
‘You should be told how amazing you are every day, all year round. My beautiful Kirat, I love you.’
‘You make me smile every single day,’ Kirat replied in another instance. ‘You make me feel loved every single day.’
He had even proposed to Kirat on Facebook, making her believe marriage was in their future.
The couple could still not video call – due to his being in the witness protection programme – but they would voice call and stay up on the line all night.
Eventually, he began ‘speech therapy’ after his stroke – but even then it would still just be a ‘hoarse whisper’.
‘I found his voice very strange, very squeaky,’ Kirat’s mother told the documentary. ‘Kirat was very upset when I mentioned it. She said, “please don’t judge him”.
‘Despite this, I was very happy for Kirat.’
Bobby was soon forced to tell Kirat that he had become a father to a baby Sanj was having – as he had ‘slept with her seven of eight months ago before they got to together’.
‘It just felt unfair… knowing how much I wanted to be a mum,’ she told the programme.
But even then, the pair decided to work through it – with Kirat even helping pick out baby clothes for Bobby’s son.
But the relationship soon turned dark and controlling. Bobby would want to be on the phone with Kirat all the time, and would even ask her where she went if she left to go to the bathroom.
Her cousin Roshni told the programme she’d be spending time with Kirat and he’d constantly be trying to get in touch.
Soon, Bobby’s ‘witness protection’ programme was up, but he was still not making an effort to come to the UK, which Kirat was becoming increasingly frustrated with
‘I noticed that she’s pulling away a lot from family… from me,’ she said. ‘I’m really worried about her at this point.
‘She looked like death.’
‘It was like Bobby owned my time now,’ Kirat admitted. ‘On several occasions I’d be tempted to disappear but if I tried to disappear something would happen.’
She was made redundant from her marketing job at the end of that year, and flirt – accused by Bobby of being too ‘flirty’ with callers on her radio show – gave that up too.
Kirat faced even more turmoil when her grandmother, who she was extremely close to, passed away – and she couldn’t stay with her ‘because she was sleeping on the phone with Bobby every night’.
Soon, Bobby’s ‘witness protection’ programme was up, but he was still not making an effort to come to the UK, which Kirat was becoming increasingly frustrated with.
The relationship soon turned dark and controlling. Bobby would want to be on the phone with Kirat all the time, and would even ask her where she went if she left to go to the bathroom
When he did finally make his way back, he still refused to see her – which had her taking matters into her own hands.
Following more and more outlandish claims from ‘Bobby’, Kirat finally discovered that she had been communicating with Simran after hiring a private detective and confronting the ‘real life’ Bobby – who had no idea that his name was being used to launch a nine-year campaign of deceit.
After a private detective led Kirat to Bobby’s real address, she faced him him at his own doorstep – only to realise that he was still happily married with children and had no knowledge his identity was being used to trick her.
Simran – posing as Bobby – even called Kirat as she was physically talking to the real Bobby at his house.
The real Bobby and Sanj also appeared in the Netflix documentary, and recounted the big reveal.
Bobby said when he opened the door, he saw a woman ‘walking away’ – but then she suddenly ‘turned around and made eye contact’.
‘She starts walking back towards the house,’ he explained. ‘She says “Hi Bobby, it’s me Kirat.”
‘My wife Sanj is like, “Bobby who is this”.
‘And I just said, “I have no idea who this lady is, I’ve never spoken to her in my life.”
‘The lady looks straight at me. “Liar,” she says. “Liar, how can you say this”.’
‘He’s done nothing in the past that I can’t trust him for,’ Sanj said. ‘But who is she, why is she here?
‘I could just see her like, hyperventilating.’
Kirat had even called Simran at the time – who spoke to Bobby as well, telling him her cousin was just ‘confused’ – and was encouraged to come back home.
Kirat, who featured in the hugely popular six-part Sweet Bobby podcast hosted by Alexi Mostrous, has spoken candidly and openly about the horror of finding out the reality.
On the podcast, Kirat revealed how she ‘vomitted’ and ‘passed out’ after Simran eventually confessed to the truth on June 11, 2018.
After their meeting, both the real Bobby and Kirat went to the police – Simran had even gone to the station with her cousin and alleged that she had seen Bobby in New York on a work visit once, suggesting that he was simply being blackmailed by his wife.
The following day, both Kirat and Simran were meant to work from Kirat’s home together.
Kirat, who featured in the hugely popular six-part Sweet Bobby podcast hosted by Alexi Mostrous, has spoken candidly and openly about the horror of finding out the reality