Indian Techie Charged With Murder 9 Months After Wife Found Strangled in US Home

A 30-year-old Indian software engineer has been arrested and charged with killing his wife at their apartment in Bellevue, nearly nine months after she was found dead. Police alleged that Avinash Narne strangled his 27-year-old wife, Raajitha Sabbineni, in October 2025 and attempted to stage the scene. Investigators later uncovered evidence of a long-running secret relationship between Narne and a woman in India, who allegedly received a photograph of Sabbineni’s body after the killing.

On October 27, 2025, Narne called police and reported that his wife had locked herself inside the bathroom and was not coming out. Officers forced their way into the bathroom and found Sabbineni lying on the floor. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Narne initially told investigators that he had left the apartment to run errands and returned about 40 minutes later to find the bathroom door locked, but officials said surveillance evidence did not show anyone else entering the home during his absence.

The following day, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Sabbineni’s death a homicide and determined that she had died from asphyxia caused by strangulation. Investigators continued examining the circumstances surrounding her death and Narne’s movements before and after the incident. Authorities later alleged that Narne had maintained a secret relationship with a woman in India for several years, even after entering an arranged marriage with Sabbineni on June 5, 2025.

Also Read: Starmer Says Erdogan Gifted Pistols To NATO Leaders During High-Level Alliance Summit

According to investigators, Narne’s girlfriend had attended his wedding to Sabbineni, but the relationship between Narne and the woman allegedly continued after the marriage. On the day Sabbineni died, Narne reportedly called the woman at least four times, including around the period when he told police that he was trying to enter the locked bathroom. Officials further alleged that Narne sent the woman a photograph of his wife’s body following the killing.

Investigators also examined text messages sent by Sabbineni to her husband before her death. In the messages, she had reportedly complained several times that drinks prepared by Narne tasted bitter. On the day she died, Sabbineni allegedly told him that a smoothie he had made tasted like “medicine” and “cough syrup”. Authorities have not publicly detailed whether the drinks played any role in her death, while the medical examiner identified strangulation as the cause.

Narne was charged with one count of first-degree murder on July 5, 2026, following the months-long investigation. Authorities said he could face life imprisonment if convicted. He remains in custody with bail set at $5 million as the case proceeds through the US court system. The allegations against him are expected to be examined further during the legal proceedings, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Also Read: Trump Suffers Legal Setback As US Court Rejects Kennedy Center Restoration Request