Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary film shining a light upon arguably one of the worst cases of catfishing to have come to light in recent years, Netflix’s ‘Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare’ is simply baffling. That’s because it carefully delves into the tale of Harkirat “Kirat” Assi, who was the victim of a complex 9-year-long scam perpetrated by none other than her own younger cousin. In other words, while she thought she had finally found the one in successful doctor and family man Bobby Jandu, Simran Kaur Bhogal had been posing as him and playing her all along.
Simran Bhogal Stole the Identity of a Partner’s Brother to Fool Her Cousin
Although not much regarding Simran’s early years or upbringing is publicly available, we do know this London, England native hails from a proud Sikh family with roots in both India and Kenya. It was thus seemingly through her community that she first came across JJ Jandu while they were still quite young, unaware they would soon get involved in a serious relationship. So, they gradually even met one another’s family before taking things further, only to ultimately realize they weren’t the right fit for the long run and decided to call their romance quits for good.
However, by this point, some links between Simran and JJ’s families had already been established, including Kirat’s online connection with the latter’s elder brother after he had reached out. According to records, she had not only received a friend request from Bobby Jandu on Facebook but also a casual direct message asking how she was, to which she responded considering their indirect acquaintance. The fact they had a few other mutual friends their own age also eased Kirat, resulting in them building a close friendship that eventually evolved into more — yet, this Bobby wasn’t Bobby at all.
Simran Bhogal Went to Extremes to Keep Up Her Web of Lies
While Kirat believed she was talking to a medical professional who split his time between Kenya and the UK from the moment they first linked in 2009, her cousin Simran was actually the one always behind the screen. In fact, even the friends Bobby had introduced his online friend-turned-girlfriend to in the early 2010s were fake profiles managed solely by the young London native at every step of the way. It has since been reported she had ended up creating nearly 60 personas to confuse and convince her elder cousin that what she had with “Bobby” was 100% real, which is simply mindboggling.
As if that’s not enough, Simran even managed to convince Kirat that Bobby had been shot six times in Kenya owing to a business deal gone wrong before being placed in witness protection in the US. This was followed by him allegedly enduring severe strokes as well as partial paralysis, which meant he was stuck in a New York hospital for months on end and could not come to meet her in the UK. Other excuses and personal details, like his having a child, followed whenever the topic of their meeting came up, yet he still demanded she always keep in touch and even sleep with him on call.
Simran Bhogal’s Motives Have Never Been Clear
It was only in 2018 that the truth came to light after a deeply frustrated Kirat hired a private investigator to find Bobby and showed up at his doorstep, just for the real-life him, his wife Sanj, and their son to be right there. However, none of them recognized her, and the doctor even threatened to call the police upon hearing all her frantic claims about the past 9 years until she walked away utterly heartbroken. That’s when Simran finally decided to come forward with the truth, asserting to her cousin that she was behind Bobby’s profile the entire time before confessing to the real-life Booby over text too.
According to reports, Simran never gave a proper reasoning behind her actions, yet some believe she was either motivated by an innate desire for control/manipulation or was simply seeking to escape her own reality. Another hypothesis that could be true is she struggled with self-esteem since it all started while she was still in school, and this was her way to seek validation from her older, successful cousin. Nevertheless, whatever the case may be, per the show, she now argues this is all a private matter that has no business being broadcast to the world, especially with “numerous unfounded” accusations.
Simran Bhogal Leads a Quiet Life Away From the Limelight Today
Despite the fact Simran has never been criminally charged for stealing Bobby’s identity or manipulating Kirat with the same for nine years, she has since faced as well as lost a civil trial. Her cousin was the one to take this legal action, as a result of which she was ordered to pay her legal fees plus a substantial amount in compensation and then issue a formal letter of apology. This litigation took around 18 months in total, during which it was made clear Simran was entirely selfish in her actions against Kirat as she manipulated her to become a trusted potential life partner, wasting 9 years of her life.
Coming to Simran’s current standing, ever since this entire ordeal was brought to a legal close before being thrust into the limelight, she has chosen to step away from the public eye. Though, as per the last records, she likely still resides in her North West London, England, childhood home alongside her parents while also working to the best of her abilities in the finance industry. She was reportedly promoted from a mere investment banker to the Vice President, Finance Business Partner, and COO at Barclays Bank in 2018, yet she purportedly left these positions behind by the time 2021 rolled around.
