US Charges Telangana Techie with Wife’s Murder; Body Photo Allegedly Sent to Lover in India

Telangana Techie Charged with Wife’s Murder in US; Allegedly Sent Photo of Body to Lover in India

A software engineer from Telangana has been charged with the alleged murder of his wife in the United States, nearly nine months after she was found dead inside the couple’s apartment in Washington state. Investigators allege that Avinash Narne strangled his 27-year-old wife, Raajitha Sabbineni, staged the crime scene to mislead police, and later sent a photograph of her body to a woman in India with whom he was allegedly in a relationship.

Sabbineni was found dead in the bathroom of the couple’s Bellevue apartment in October 2025, just months after their marriage. Narne had initially told police that he returned home after running errands, found the bathroom locked from the inside and called emergency services when his wife failed to respond.

An autopsy, however, concluded that Sabbineni died from strangulation and ruled her death a homicide. Investigators later examined smart-lock records and security data from the apartment, which they say showed that no one else entered the home during the time Narne claimed to have been away, weakening the possibility of an outsider’s involvement.

As the probe progressed, detectives uncovered evidence of an alleged secret relationship between Narne and a woman in India that reportedly continued even after his marriage. According to court documents, Narne contacted the woman several times on the day of his wife’s death and allegedly admitted to sending her a photograph of Sabbineni’s body the following day.

Investigators also pointed to messages exchanged between the couple before the incident. Sabbineni had reportedly complained that drinks prepared by Narne tasted unusually bitter. On the day she died, she allegedly messaged him that a smoothie he made tasted like “medicine” and “cough syrup.” Police say Narne later suggested to officers that his wife may have collapsed after consuming cough syrup.

Following months of forensic analysis, digital evidence review and interviews, Bellevue Police arrested Narne. He has since been charged with first-degree murder, with prosecutors alleging the killing was deliberate and premeditated.