Netflix's latest true crime documentary Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare, is an engrossing watch - it's unsurprising those tuning in want to know more about the real Simran and her current whereabouts.
When Kirat Assi struck up an online friendship that turned into true love, little did she know her story would end up the subject of a hit podcast and Netflix documentary. Her fairy tale romance with Bobby Jandu went horribly wrong and Kirat was forced to turn detective to uncover the truth - only to find she had been the victim of catfishing, and 'Bobby' was actually a relative of hers.
The story was first covered in the Sweet Bobby podcast, and is now astonishing global audiences on screen with Netflix's Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare. Netflix viewers have already been asking where the real Rodney Alcala is now, the murderer from Woman of The Hour, and the whereabouts of the Menendez Brothers from Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Now they're wondering who the real Simran is, who pretended to be 'Bobby', and where she is now.
Who is the real Simran Bhogal?
Simran Bhogal - the real 'Bobby Jandu' - is actually Kirat Assi's female cousin. Simran set up fake social media accounts in the name of Bobby Jandu, and sent Kirat a friend request. Kirat exchanged messages with the person she believed to be a man with whom she had mutual friends. As their messages became more regular, a strong friendship developed.
Their messaging continued over a number of years, but remained online and they didn't meet in person. Kirat was later told that Bobby had been shot while in Kenya and placed in witness protection. Communication stopped between them during this time, until Bobby recommenced messaging from an account he suggested had been cleared by witness protection.
While Kirat wanted to meet in person, she received constant excuses from Bobby as to why this couldn't happen. From moving to New York to various health scares, Bobby always had apparently valid reasons for being unable to meet Kirat in real life. Added authenticity came in the form of their mutual 'friends' messaging Kirat to corroborate Bobby's stories - these were actually further fake profiles set up to maintain the illusion.
Bobby's communication became controlling in nature, resulting in Kirat being unable to work due to stress. She eventually found out Bobby was staying at a hotel in London, and went to pay him a visit - only to be told there was no Bobby Jandu staying there. Now really suspicious, Kirat hired a private investigator to find out where Bobby really lived.
Given an address in Brighton, Kirat drove to confront her online boyfriend. However, when she arrived, a man named Bobby Jandu did open the door - he just didn't have a clue who she was and had not been the man behind the messages. The following day, Kirat's cousin, Simran Bhogal, arrived at her house and admitted she had been Bobby all along - she had maintained the pretence for eight years.
Where is Simran Bhogal now?
Since her catfishing actions were exposed, Simran Bhogal has kept a low profile and very little is known about her current whereabouts. When the Sweet Bobby podcast was released, Simran resigned from her job at a firm in London, and deleted her social media profiles.
According to Radio Times, Simran made a statement to Netflix stating the subject of the documentary "involves events that began when she was a schoolgirl" adding that "she considers it a private matter and strongly objects to what she describes as 'numerous unfounded' and damaging accusations".
Also in relation to the Sweet Bobby podcast, Simran's lawyers contacted the creators with the following statement, "This matter concerns a family dispute over events that began over a decade ago, when I was a schoolgirl. As far as I'm concerned, this is a private family matter that has been resolved."
Adding "I strongly object to the numerous unfounded and seriously defamatory accusations that have been made about me, as well as details of private matters that have been shared with the media."
Why did Simran Bhogal catfish her cousin?
Simran's motives for catfishing her cousin remain unclear, and it's believed she's never offered an explanation for her actions. As catfishing isn't considered a crime, Kirat wasn't able to bring charges against her cousin for that particular part of her scam, but did eventually win a substantial settlement in her civil case against her for harassment, misuse of private information and data protection breaches.
According to The Guardian, Kirat challenged the police decision to not pursue Simran for coercive control and stalking. Kirat told the publication, "It was a slow destruction of everything I had. Bobby targeted every part of my life – my career, my dreams, my hopes, my relationship with family, with friends, my studies."
She concludes, "I could have met someone real, had a baby during that time. But the other impact has been on my mental and physical health."
