Washington (Rajeev Sharma): An Indian-origin software engineer has been charged with the murder of his wife in the United States after investigators spent months piecing together evidence that allegedly contradicted his initial account of her death. The arrest comes nearly nine months after the woman was found dead inside the couple’s apartment in Washington state.
Authorities identified the accused as 30-year-old Avinash Narne, while the victim was his 27-year-old wife, Raajitha Sabbineni. Police said the incident took place on October 27, 2025, when Narne contacted emergency services, claiming his wife had locked herself inside the bathroom and was not responding.
Responding officers forced open the bathroom door and discovered Sabbineni lying motionless. She was declared dead at the scene. Narne initially told investigators that he had briefly stepped out of the apartment and found the bathroom locked after returning home.
However, investigators later found no evidence suggesting that anyone else had entered the apartment during the period in question. A forensic examination further changed the direction of the case after the medical examiner ruled that the woman had died due to strangulation, confirming the death as a homicide.
According to police, the investigation uncovered evidence indicating that Narne was allegedly maintaining a long-term relationship with a woman based in India. Officials believe the relationship continued even after his marriage to Sabbineni in June 2025.
Investigators also examined the accused’s mobile phone records and alleged that he remained in contact with the woman throughout the day of the incident. Authorities claim he even shared a photograph of his wife’s body with her after the alleged crime.
Messages recovered from Sabbineni’s phone also became part of the investigation. Police said the victim had, on several occasions, expressed concern about food and drinks prepared by her husband. In one of her final messages, she reportedly complained that a smoothie tasted like medicine, a detail investigators considered relevant while reconstructing the sequence of events.
Following months of forensic analysis, interviews, and digital evidence collection, prosecutors filed a first-degree murder charge against Narne on July 5, 2026. He has been taken into custody and is being held on a bail amount of five million dollars.
Law enforcement officials said the investigation remains active, though the arrest marks a significant development in a case that has attracted attention in both India and the United States due to its cross-border connections and the alleged motive behind the crime.
