Sweet Bobby: Exploring The True Story Behind Kirat Assi's Catfish Nightmare

Netflix has released the first look at its upcoming true crime documentary, Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare, which tells a gripping tale of deception and betrayal. The documentary centres around Kirat Assi, whose life changed forever after she accepted a friend request from a man named Bobby.

Watch Sweet Bobby Trailer: True Crime Documentary Explores Catfishing 

Initially, Kirat believed she was developing a genuine relationship with Bobby, and their online connection gradually deepened to the point of engagement. However, after ten years together, Kirat began to suspect that her online love was not who he claimed to be.

In the trailer, Kirat reflects on her experience, stating, "What happened to me is just one crazy story. You can't make it up." She shares that during her early 30s, while focussing on her career, she felt pressure from friends who were getting married. This longing for companionship led her to accept Bobby's friend request, which she now sees as a turning point in her life.

Throughout their online relationship, Kirat and Bobby exchanged thousands of messages. Kirat believed Bobby came from a respected family and that they shared mutual friends, which added to her trust in him. Bobby eventually expressed his love for Kirat, but he always had excuses for why they could not meet in person. He claimed to be dealing with mental health issues and even mentioned being shot multiple times, which further complicated their situation.

As the trailer unfolds, Kirat's friends and family reveal their concerns about how Bobby's presence consumed her life. Eventually, Kirat began to question the authenticity of their relationship. In a shocking turn, the real Bobby appears in the trailer, stating, "I've never spoken to her in my life." This revelation pushes Kirat to confront the truth about the person she thought she knew for so long.

Emotions run high as Kirat is seen breaking down in tears, grappling with the reality of who she had been speaking to all these years. As the profiles of the person posing as Bobby begin to vanish, the quest for answers intensifies.

Who is Harkirat Assi? 

In 2021, the Sweet Bobby podcast created a stir worldwide. Harkirat Assi, a radio presenter, events organiser and a member of the Sikh community in London, shared her story, revealing that she had lost significant parts of her life, along with relationships and her career, due to a catfishing experience from 2009 to 2018. 

Now 45, Assi became an overnight sensation as the podcast climbed to the top of the charts. However, she acknowledges that the podcast and its success have provided her with a degree of comfort following the abuse she suffered. “I had to do a lot of healing to be able to do the podcast. If I hadn’t been a strong person to start with, I wouldn’t have gotten through the abuse because it was so bad,” she stated to Stylist. 

According to the Guardian's report, the police informed Assi that what she experienced was not considered a crime, a claim she refused to accept. After winning a significant settlement in her civil case against Bhogal for harassment, misuse of private information, and breaches of data protection, Assi persisted in her efforts to contest the police's decision not to investigate her claims of coercive control, stalking, and harassment. She escalated the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service and also pursued a civil action against the perpetrator, which was settled out of court in 2020.

Sweet Bobby,  the upcoming documentary is inspired by the popular podcast of the same name and is produced by the same team behind The Tinder Swindler and American Nightmare. It chronicles how a fairytale romance can quickly turn into a nightmare. Viewers can catch the documentary when it becomes available for streaming on October 16.