Where is Simran Bhogal now? True story behind Sweet Bobby podcast and Netflix series

Over nearly a decade, Assi got swept up in a virtual relationship and engagement that eventually upended her life when she discovered something shocking: the man she thought she had been communicating with for years was, in fact, her cousin Simran Bhogal.

When the podcast was first released, Kirat had not imagined the sheer number of listeners it would attract, and was equally shocked when a host of production companies got in touch with her to create a documentary, one of them being Netflix.

"It's just sharing the story to a wider audience," Kirat exclusively told RadioTimes.com. "Lots of people don't listen to podcasts and if this helps people to speak up [and] speak out, to fight for themselves a bit harder when it comes to not being believed, then that's what matters."

Bhogal declined to be interviewed by the documentary and told Netflix in a statement that she "considers it a private matter and strongly objects to what she describes as 'numerous unfounded' and damaging accusations".

So, what is the full true story of Sweet Bobby and where is Simran Bhogal now? Read on for everything you need to know.

Sweet Bobby true story explained: What happened to Kirat Assi?

When Kirat received a friend request from someone named Bobby Jandu, a man she shared mutual friends with, she accepted it, not thinking it would change her life forever.

To begin with, Kirat and Bobby exchanged friendly messages, and after he confided in her about his marital breakdown, they became friends and messaged one another more regularly.

As their friendship progressed over a number of years, the pair had still never met one another and only messaged online.

But things took a turn when Kirat was told that Bobby had been shot while in Kenya and had been put in witness protection.

While communication ceased, Bobby began messaging Kirat again from a separate account that had been supposedly cleared via the witness protection programme.

Now living in New York, it was one excuse after the other as to why Kirat couldn't see Bobby. Whether he had a stroke or a heart attack, there was always something that would prevent them from seeing each other.

These health scares would always be corroborated by someone close to Bobby, who had seen him and would message Kirat, allowing her to believe that Bobby was real and out there.

As the years went on, Kirat said that Bobby became controlling, so much so that she was signed off from work due to the stress it had caused.

After a constant back-and-forth, things finally come to a head when Bobby returned to London and Kirat intended to visit him at a hotel he was staying at, but was told there was no Bobby Jandu staying there.

Growing suspicious, Kirat hired a private investigator to find out Bobby's real address, and they returned with an address in Brighton.

As she drove to Brighton, Kirat thought she would come face-to-face with Bobby and she did – he just had no idea who Kirat was.

When Kirat met Bobby, it wasn't the person she had been messaging and later, it was revealed that her female cousin Simran Bhogal had been behind everything.

How did Kirat Assi discover the identity of her catfisher?

After confronting the real Bobby, Kirat said that Simran called her and told her to go home.

Kirat added that Simran turned up to her house the next day and revealed that she had been Bobby all along.

Why did Simran Bhogal catfish Kirat Assi?

In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, Kirat explained how she still has "absolutely no idea" why Simran chose to catfish her.

"There's nothing she could say to justify what she did... She had ample opportunities to stop," she said.

"She could see the damage she was doing. She could see the distress she was causing. She chose not to."

Did Simran Bhogal get in trouble?

No, Simran has never been charged with any crime because there is no law against catfishing.

However, in 2020, Kirat brought a civil case against Simran and won a substantial settlement in her case of harassment, misuse of private information and data protection breaches.

Did Simran Bhogal lose her job?

Alexi Mostrous, who narrated the Sweet Bobby podcast, claimed that Bhogal "left" her "high-powered job" in the final episode.

It’s unclear whether Bhogal chose to leave or was asked to.

Where is Simran Bhogal now?

While her name has been brought into the public eye, not much else is known about Simran Bhogal and her privacy has been upheld.

In the Netflix documentary, she is portrayed by an actress, and when offered the opportunity to be interviewed, she declined.

Simran told Netflix in a statement that the matter "involves events that began when she was a schoolgirl".

"She considers it a private matter and strongly objects to what she describes as 'numerous unfounded' and damaging accusations."

In response to the podcast, the creators received a statement from Simran via her lawyers, which read: "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.

"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."

Sweet Bobby is available to stream on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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