DR Bobby Jandu was the perfect man for Kirat Assi, and she shared a ten-year relationship with the cardiologist before finding out she’d been cold-heartedly catfished by a member of her own family.
The shocking story is featured in the new Netflix true crime documentary Sweet Bobby.
Dr Bobby Jandu’s identity was used to catfish radio presenter Kirat Assi[/caption]
Kirat was cruelly conned into believing she was engaged to the fictional Dr Bobby character and had a 10-year ‘relationship’ with him[/caption]
Who is Dr Bobby Jandu?
The real Dr Bobby Jandu is a victim of identity theft in a complicated catfishing scheme.
He played no active role in the deception of Kirat Assi.
Dr Jandu is a real person whose identity was stolen and used by Simran Bhogal to create the fictional character her cousin Kirat Assi believed she was in a real relationship with for nearly a decade.
The real doctor is reportedly a cardiologist living in Brighton, England.
His identity was taken and used without his knowledge or consent.
Dramatic scenarios
The fake Dr Bobby persona was portrayed as a New York based cardiologist, allowing Bhogal to create dramatic scenarios and maintain the long-distance relationship with her cousin.
Kirat told the sickening story of being betrayed and her quest for justice in the hit podcast Sweet Bobby, presented by Alexi Mostrous.
The multi-part series investigated “one of the world’s most sophisticated catfishers”
In 2022, Alexi wrote in The Sun: “I first came across Kirat’s story last June. A good source handed me a witness statement over lunch, telling me it contained details of ‘the craziest case’ he’d ever seen.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it’
“As I read the 140-page document that night, I realised that he was right. In more than 15 years of journalism, I’ve never seen anything like it.
“The statement detailed every step of the catfishing operation — from 2009 when Kirat, from London, was first contacted on Facebook by someone called ‘JJ’, to the moment in June 2018 when Bhogal came round to her house and confessed to everything.
“Some of the details were, frankly, surreal.
“At one point, Bobby died and then came back to life, claiming he was in a witness protection programme having been shot in Kenya.
“He developed life-threatening illnesses, which meant he was stuck for long periods in hospital in New York.”
I have never spoken to her in my life
Dr Bobby Jandu
Kirat and Bobby were just friends for the first few years of the “relationship”, but in 2015 became an online couple.
Bobby was based in New York and Kirat in London, with the “cardiologist” endlessly promising to visit her but always cancelling at the last minute.
Master of excuses
Something always happened at the last minute — usually a medical emergency — and Bobby would never follow through with any of their scheduled meetings.
He was a master of excuses, telling Kirat he couldn’t video call her because his phone was playing up, or because he was in witness protection and the rules wouldn’t allow it.
The real Dr Jandu had actually never met Kirat[/caption]
Civil action
Bhogal confessed to her deception in 2018, which prompted Kirat to report the matter to the police first.
But when the police didn’t pursue criminal charges, Kirat made the decision to take civil legal action.
In 2020, a civil action was initiated by Kirat, with the litigation process lasting nearly 18 months, with the case finally being settled out of court.
Bhogal agreed to pay Kirat substantial damages and cover her legal costs.
Kirat was being catfished by her cousin Simran Bhogal[/caption]
Additionally, Bhogal provided her cousin with a formal letter of apology as part of the settlement.
It is understood to be the first successful civil claim related to catfishing in the UK, as well as the longest recorded case.
In the aftermath of the revelation, the real Dr Jandu was considered by law enforcement to be the primary victim of the crime, as his identity had been stolen and misused.
Netflix true crime doc
Based on the hit podcast and from the producers of The Tinder Swindler and American Nightmare, Sweet Bobby is coming to Netflix.
Poster for the Netflix Crime doc Sweet Bobby[/caption]
Kirat was 32 when she received a Facebook friend request that changed everything.
She says in the show’s trailer: “What happened to me is just one crazy story. You can’t make it up.
“We’re talking about ten years of my life.
“Eventually, he tells me he loves me. We try to make it as normal as you can online … but there’s always an excuse why he can’t see me face-to-face.”
Kirat and Bobby spoke on the phone for hours on end, even getting engaged, but she finally realised things didn’t add up and began to question whether she was being catfished.
“Finally, I was questioning everything,” she admits.
The trailer cuts to the real-life Bobby, who says: “I have never spoken to her in my life.”
Sweet Bobby premieres on Netflix on October 16, 2024.
