Washington: A software engineer from Telangana has been arrested in the US for murdering his wife and attempting to pass it off as medical emergency.
The arrest came nearly nine months after the incident. Avinash Narne (30) has been accused of killing Raajitha Sabbineni (27), at their Bellevue, Washington, apartment on October 27, 2025, barely four months after their marriage.
According to investigators, Avinash dialled 911 and claimed he had returned home after running errands, only to find his wife locked inside the bathroom and unresponsive. Emergency responders forced open the door and attempted CPR before Raajitha was declared dead.
The medical examiner, however, determined that she had died from asphyxia caused by strangulation, transforming what had been treated as a sudden death into a homicide investigation, as reported by News18.
Upon examining the techie’s movements and digital footprints, detectives uncovered evidence that allegedly pointed to an ongoing relationship with a woman in India.
Avinash apparently had a relationship with this woman since before his marriage with Raajitha. The two continued communicating even after the marriage, and phone records showed he contacted her several times on the day of Raajitha’s death, including around the period he later claimed he was trying to gain access to the locked bathroom.
Avinash later acknowledged sending the woman a photograph of Raajitha’s body, the police claimed. Investigators also scrutinised messages that had allegedly been deleted following the incident.
It is believed that the woman had attended Avinash and Raajitha’s wedding on June 5, 2025. Shortly after the ceremony, Raajitha relocated from Texas to the Seattle area to begin married life with her husband.
Investigators got another clue from Raajitha’s conversations with a close friend in the days before her death.
She had repeatedly complained about a smoothie prepared by her husband that had an unusual taste, detectives said. On the day she died, she also texted Avinash saying the drink tasted “like cough syrup.” Detectives reportedly treated the messages as an important clue while reconstructing the events leading up to her death.
It is being suspected that the alleged killing may have been linked to Avinash’s relationship with the woman in India, though authorities have not publicly disclosed a final motive.
