Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s documentary ‘Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare’ ends without revealing why Simran Bhogal allegedly catfished Kirat Assi for nine years, pretending to be a doctor named Bobby Jandu. She has never come forward and appeared before the press or the public to explain the accusations against her. While the documentary was in the works, she declined an interview request to appear in it, which was also the case when Alexi Mostrous reached out to her while he was producing ‘Sweet Bobby,’ a podcast about the case, for Tortoise Media. However, Kirat and the people around her have their own conclusions or theories about Simran’s alleged actions, which opens a window into the latter’s supposed motive.
Kirat Assi Believes Simran Bhogal Catfished Her to Attain Power Over Her
When Kirat Assi allegedly learned that Simran Bhogal was catfishing her with a persona the latter created using the life of Bobby Jandu, the radio jockey wanted to know why she did it. The supposed catfisher never explained her motive properly to her cousin, only for the latter to infer that she did it to gain “power.” Kirat concluded that Simran saw her as a “challenge.” According to the former, the alleged catfisher had controlled her life significantly in the later part of their relationship through Bobby’s account. The person behind the fake social media handle reportedly regularly monitored the radio jockey’s actions and controlled her decisions/choices.
According to Kirat, the fake Bobby often asked her where she was and why she wasn’t in her house or room whenever she was out. These questions were followed by accusations that she was flirting with her callers while hosting a radio show. The fake persona Simran allegedly created discouraged the radio jockey from working and even tried to create a distance between the latter and her friends and family members. In an interview given to Sky News in October 2024, Kirat described these actions as “coercive control,” which continued until she didn’t have “any sense of [herself] left anymore.”
As per Kirat, the Bobby persona “tested” and “tortured” the former using hypothetical questions, possibly to discover the extent of control the latter had on the radio jockey. In one particular instance, the fake account asked her whether she would join him if he became part of ISIS. She couldn’t say no right away, knowing that her partner would start a fight with her and possibly suffer from a heart attack. This example makes it clear that the fake Bobby seemingly wanted to exert control over Kirat and her actions.
Simran Bhogal’s Private Apology to Kirat Assi Sheds Light on Her Supposed Motive
In 2020, Kirat Assi filed a civil case against Simran Bhogal, which ended with a victory for the radio jockey in the form of a considerable settlement and a private apology. Because of the conditions of the settlement, the catfish survivor had to keep the same private but partially revealed what was in it while discussing the case with Alexi Mostrous for his podcast ‘Sweet Bobby,’ which was released in 2021. “She [Simran] honestly believed we were both in a dark place and living in this alternative reality or this fantasy world that she created was bringing us both some kind of happiness or joy,” Kirat said in the podcast.
Kirat couldn’t accept this particular explanation, possibly because Simran witnessed the former’s struggles and difficulties. That can also be why the radio jockey dismissed it and said that the catfishing scheme was mere “entertainment” for her cousin while appearing in ‘Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare.’ Dr. Carolina Estevez, a clinical psychologist at Crestone Wellness who has examined the case externally, theorized that Simran was possibly trying to find “escapism” by pretending to be someone else and further added that the scheme might have helped the catfisher to disappear from her reality and experience an unattainable life.
Kirat Assi No Longer Wants to Know Simran Bhogal’s Alleged Motive
Even though Kirat Assi wanted to know why Simran Bhogal had reportedly deceived her using the fake Bobby persona for a considerable while, the radio jockey moved on from the motive. “I don’t think I care about why anymore, to be honest. You obviously question it at the time. You just wonder why, [but] nothing could justify how far that person’s gone,” she told TODAY in October 2024. As far as Kirat is concerned, no reason can change how she sees the alleged catfisher who severely affected her life. Furthermore, the survivor is convinced that she cannot “ever believe anything that came out of [Simran’s] mouth anymore.”
Kirat doesn’t even wish to communicate with Simran. However, it doesn’t mean that the catfish survivor is ready to forget her cousin. She hopes to bring the alleged catfisher to justice for the necessary legal proceedings, which, according to her, is essential to move forward from the incident that severely affected her and rebuild her life. Kirat hasn’t accepted Simran’s apology, questioning its genuineness since it was only offered after the court’s intervention. As things stand, the radio jockey is focused on ensuring justice and raising awareness concerning catfishing practices upon moving on from the alleged catfisher’s motives or reasons.
