Sweet Bobby My Catfish Nightmare: Inside Kirat Assi's Disturbing Journey

Sweet Bobby My Catfish Nightmare: A Disturbing Revelation

Kirat Assi takes a deep breath, pausing the interview for a moment to wipe away a tear. It’s been two years since Assi first came forward with her story on the “Sweet Bobby” podcast, but the feelings are still raw. She’s revisiting it once again for a Netflix show of the same name. “It was a nightmare toward the end,” Assi tells TODAY.com from London.

For about nine years, Assi thought she was involved with a cardiologist named Bobby Jandu — first as friends, then eventually as an engaged couple. They began speaking on Facebook Messenger. Both from the same London Sikh community, Assi felt immediately comfortable with Bobby. Plus, they shared an acquaintance: Assi’s younger cousin, Simran Bhogal, who had dated Bobby’s younger brother.

Unraveling the Deception

In fact, she was speaking to someone posing as Bobby — who is a very real person. The real Jandu appeared in both the podcast and Netflix show, sharing his experiences hearing of the “shocking” catfishing scheme. Assi watched on as Bobby went through major life changes, some of which were very traumatic, like a brain tumor, a stroke, and a near-fatal shooting in Kenya, plus a divorce and a remarriage.

• In 2015, Bobby said he loved Assi. The two began a relationship despite having only had one in-person conversation in a bar years prior.
• Assi recalls, “In the beginning it was nice,” but a few months later, things turned quite scary.

The Turning Point

By 2018, Bobby’s absence at Assi’s grandmother’s funeral was pivotal. It prompted Assi to issue an ultimatum: Either he see her or their relationship was over. After hiring a private investigator, she discovered Bobby’s true life—married and with a child, not divorced as he had claimed. Then the twist: Assi’s cousin, Simran, confessed to posing as Bobby all along, orchestrating over 50 Facebook profiles to deceive her.

As this complex story continues to unfold, it raises questions about trust, deception, and the shadows that can lurk behind seemingly innocuous connections.