HYDERABAD: A software engineer from Telangana allegedly photographed his wife’s body and sent it to another woman he was in a relationship with in India — just hours after allegedly strangling her at their apartment in Bellevue, Washington. Avinash Narne, 30, was arrested for the murder of his wife Raajitha Sabbineni, 27, barely four months into their marriage. What was initially reported as a “sudden death” unravelled into a murder investigation after an autopsy found she had died of asphyxia due to strangulation. Avinash had first called 911 claiming he returned home to find Raajitha unresponsive after she accidentally locked herself in the bathroom while he was out running errands. Police broke open the door and attempted CPR before she was declared dead on Oct 27, 2025. Detectives allege Avinash made at least four calls that day to a woman in India with whom he was allegedly having an affair — including calls placed around the time he later claimed to be trying to break into the bathroom. When questioned about messages exchanged with her that he had since deleted, he reportedly admitted to sending her a photograph of Raajitha’s body. Investigators say the woman had also attended the couple’s wedding on June 5, 2025. Raajitha had moved from Texas to the Seattle area after the marriage to live with Avinash. Adding to the evidence trail, messages between Raajitha and a friend in the days before her death allegedly described a “bitter-tasting” smoothie her husband had made her. On the day she died, she messaged Avinash himself saying the smoothie tasted bitter — “like cough syrup.” Members of the Telugu community who helped arrange Raajitha’s cremation told TOI that Avinash, as next of kin, had handled the formalities himself, giving no indication he was a suspect. “When we spoke to him, there was nothing to suggest that it was a murder case… We were shocked when we later learnt what the police had alleged,” a volunteer said. Her last rites have since been performed in Washington.
