Netflix’s newest documentary, Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare, will make you think of many things regarding family and virtual friendships. One, Netflix, headquartered in Los Gatos, California, recently released original documentaries, and Sweet Bobby may be one of the most complex stories of catfishing in history to be recorded.
A Girl Who Had It All
Kirat Assi is a successful marketer and radio presenter who lives in West London. On the surface, she may have everything: a relationship, fame, and success. In 2010, Assi was in an on-and-off relationship with her boyfriend. Then, she added the handsome older brother of her cousin’s ex-boyfriend, Bobby, who initiated a virtual relationship on Facebook.
Back then, there was nothing to think about other than when she’d marry her longtime partner. Bobby, at that time, wasn’t asking for anything either. He was married, and a virtual friendship was all it should’ve been until an incident changed their status quo.
Sweet Bobby: A Real-Life Saga
In November 2013, Kirat received a Facebook message claiming Bobby had been shot and was in a coma. Two months later, in early 2014, she was told he was dead. To deal with this grief of losing a dear friend, Kirat joined a Facebook group with 39 of Bobby’s friends. She later learned these were all fake accounts. In a twist of fate, Bobby came back to life months later and said he was put on a witness protection program and faked his death. This situation put a toll on his marriage, and his wife ended up leaving him. Months later, Kirat left her boyfriend for good.
As friendship blossomed into romance, the two ended up being official. However, all this time and after, Bobby and Kirat never met face-to-face. Bobby always had reasons he used to control Kirat. First, it was a brain tumor in 2015, followed by a stroke and then a heart attack. “This man might have the frailest health ever,” confirmed his non-existing consultant. Whenever Kirat brought up the meeting, Bobby would threaten to commit suicide to control the situation. He had become so controlling that in 2017, Kirat had to sign off from work due to Bobby’s burden.
An Elaborate Catfishing Incident
All this time, Kirat confided about her relationship and hardships with her cousin, Simran Bhogal. Ten years of this mess opened Kirat’s eyes, finally causing her to realize that things were wrong. She hired a private investigator, who found Bobby’s address. But when confronted, Bobby doesn’t know what Kirat is talking about.
He has no idea who she is, and this leads Kirat to a damning conclusion, her Bobby doesn’t exist. Bobby is one big lie full of clusters. So, who has she been communicating with all these years? When Kirat and Bobby went to report the case to the police in 2018, Kirat’s cousin, Simran, admitted to the deceit.
Sweet Bobby Podcast
Simran was the mastermind who orchestrated Kirat’s decade-long grief. Despite the emotional turmoil she caused Kirat, no charges were made because catfishing is not recognized as a criminal offense in the UK. Kirat, the victim, takes control of her narrative as she reveals what happened to her. Her case was revealed via the popular podcast Sweet Bobby, created by Tortoise Media and released in 2021. The podcast chronicled the true story of Kirat Assi, from what seemed to be a harmless online friendship to a complex case of catfishing.
The podcast was a major success; now, it’s a documentary on Netflix. Kirat has done multiple interviews and told outlets she needed to tell the story so people would believe this could happen. In 2020, Kirat also brought a civil action case against Simran, which was settled out of court. According to Bustle, the settlement included an apology letter issued by Simran’s lawyers. She was reportedly made to pay Kirat for “substantial damages,” covering her legal costs.
Final Thoughts
Simran may have believed she’d always be safe, but karma has a way. The finale of the Sweet Bobby podcast suggested that the case could be reopened as it’s been revealed that the original investigation neglected Kirat’s evidence. Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare is a complex, nightmarish case.
Despite being a complex true-crime saga, some find that the documentary doesn’t fully deliver; it is seemingly rushed and full of sitting people. However, that doesn’t lessen the story’s impact of how Simran’s actions wreaked havoc on Kirat’s life for a decade and how she stole her youth. The Sweet Bobby documentary is now streaming on Netflix.
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