Narne maintained a secret romantic relationship with another woman
A tech engineer has been charged with murdering his wife in the United States, nearly nine months after investigators concluded she was strangled inside the couple’s Washington apartment.
Police arrested 30-year-old Avinash Narne following an extensive investigation into the death of his 27-year-old wife, Raajitha Sabbineni.
Sabbineni, who was from Telangana, was found dead inside the couple’s apartment in Bellevue, Washington, in October 2025, less than six months after the couple married.
According to investigators, Narne initially reported that his wife had locked herself inside the bathroom and was not responding.
Officers forced their way into the bathroom and found Sabbineni lying on the floor. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
However, an autopsy later determined she died from asphyxia caused by strangulation. Her death was officially ruled a homicide.
Police allege Narne strangled his wife before attempting to stage the scene to conceal the killing.
According to charging documents, investigators found no evidence that anyone else entered the apartment after Narne briefly left the property.
Officials analysed data from the apartment’s front-door security system and smart lock.
The records showed Narne left the residence for around 40 minutes, but no other person entered the apartment while he was away.
Investigators said this effectively ruled out the possibility of an unknown intruder being responsible for Sabbineni’s death.
As detectives examined Narne’s communications, they also uncovered what prosecutors describe as a possible motive.
Court documents allege Narne maintained a secret romantic relationship with another woman in India before marrying Sabbineni.
According to prosecutors, the relationship continued after the wedding, and the woman had attended the couple’s marriage.
Police said Narne remained in regular contact with the woman after his marriage.
Investigators allege he called her at least four times on the day of Sabbineni’s death, including around the time he later claimed he was trying to gain access to the locked bathroom.
According to charging documents, Narne also admitted sending his lover a photograph of Sabbineni’s body the day after her death.
Investigators also examined messages exchanged between the couple in the weeks before Sabbineni died.
According to police, Sabbineni repeatedly told her husband that the drinks he prepared tasted unusually bitter.
On the day she died, she allegedly told Narne that a smoothie he made tasted like “medicine” and “cough syrup”.
Police said Narne later suggested to officers that his wife had been feeling unwell and may have collapsed after consuming cough syrup.
Detectives continued gathering evidence, reviewing digital records and conducting interviews for several months before making an arrest.
Following a further interview with Narne, Bellevue Police arrested him on suspicion of first-degree murder.
On July 1, prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder, alleging the killing was intentional and premeditated.
Narne remains in custody on bail set at $5 million. If convicted under Washington state law, he could face life imprisonment.
