“We’re talking about ten years of my life."
Netflix shared the first trailer for its new true crime documentary Sweet Bobby about a British woman who was catfished for 10 years.
Kirat Assi was in an online relationship with a man she thought was called Bobby Jandu for 10 years.
In 2009, Kirat randomly received a Facebook message seemingly from JJ, her cousin Simran Bhogal’s ex-boyfriend.
The pair struck up a friendship and talked over the next five months before she discovered JJ had died.
Simran passed on the email address of his brother ‘Bobby’ before things changed.
In the documentary trailer, Kirat explained how one Facebook friend request changed everything.
She said: “What happened to me is just one crazy story. You can’t make it up.
“We’re talking about ten years of my life.”
Kirat accepted the request because they had mutual friends and they began talking online. Their online friendship gradually blossomed into romance.
However, Kirat would receive messages saying Bobby had been shot and killed as well as that he had a brain tumour.
Although outlandish, these claims were backed up by other people online.
As their relationship progressed, Kirat believed she was getting to know Bobby’s friends and family, but she never met her online lover in person.
“We’ve sent thousands of messages.
“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.”
This included one instance where he supposedly had a heart attack.
When Kirat pushed to meet him, Bobby would threaten to commit suicide.
Instead, Kirat and Bobby spoke on the phone for hours at a time and they even got engaged.
They spoke daily and their relationship even turned sexual, though Kirat never sent nude images of herself.
In the trailer for Sweet Bobby, Kirat explained that Bobby started to lean on her for emotional support, but to the detriment of her own health.
Following more outlandish claims, Kirat eventually realised that something was up.
She admitted: “Finally, I was questioning everything.”
Kirat hired a private detective, who discovered the chilling reality of her online relationship with Bobby.
Kirat spoke candidly about her ordeal on the six-part Sweet Bobby podcast, hosted by Alexi Mostrous.
On the podcast, Kirat revealed she “vomited” and “passed out” after learning the truth.
The Netflix documentary is based on the podcast and is from the producers of The Tinder Swindler and American Nightmare.
The trailer cuts to the real-life Bobby, who says:
“I have never spoken to her in my life.”
The man Kirat knew as Bobby told her elaborate stories about his mental health struggles and being shot several times, but she now doesn’t know whether any of it was true.
“I want answers… profiles disappear. I’m terrified.
“What were the lies? What was the truth? Who was the real Bobby?
“All of this time, who have I been sleeping on the phone with?”
Teasing more about what viewers can expect from the doc, the synopsis reads:
“After an online friendship blossoms into true love, Kirat finds herself turning detective to uncover the truth behind her mysterious fiancé, Bobby.
“Sweet Bobby is the story of a fairytale romance gone horribly wrong.”
Sweet Bobby: My Catfishing Nightmare releases on October 16, 2024, on Netflix.
Watch the Trailer for Sweet Bobby: My Catfishing Nightmare
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