Indian Software Engineer Charged with Wife's Murder in Bellevue
A 30-year-old Telugu software engineer, Avinash Narne, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife Sabbineni Rajitha, who was found unresponsive in the locked bathroom of their Bellevue, Washington apartment in October 2025, nearly eight months before his arrest.
Engineer Charged Months After Wife Found Dead in Washington
The American Bazaar reported on July 7, 2026 that a 30-year-old Indian software engineer had been formally charged in connection with his wife's death in Washington state. The article highlighted a defining aspect of the case: charges were filed months after the woman's death rather than in the immediate aftermath. The American Bazaar, which serves the South Asian diaspora in the United States with coverage of business, immigration, technology, and community affairs, reported on the case at the point when the formal criminal charge was filed — a significant development that moved the matter from an open investigation into an active prosecution. The headline framed the story around the delay between the death and the charging decision, presenting the months-long gap as a central element. The engineer, identified as an Indian software professional working in Washington state, was the subject of the charge. The article was written by journalist Jayujyoti Mullick. The publication's decision to cover the case reflected its significance for its readership in the South Asian diaspora. The filing of charges in a case of this kind, months after the death of the engineer's wife, marked a pivotal moment that attracted coverage across Indian American publications. [1]
Digital Evidence and Secret Relationship Central to Narne Investigation
Brut India reported on July 13, 2026 that Avinash Narne, an Indian software engineer, was arrested in the United States following police allegations that he killed his wife, Raajitha Sabbineni. The publication's account noted that police alleged Narne sent a photograph to his girlfriend — a detail reflected in the article's headline and forming part of the evidentiary picture in the case. Brut reported that digital evidence, phone records, and a secret relationship were identified by police as key elements of the investigation. These three categories — electronic data, communications records, and an undisclosed romantic relationship — were described as central to how investigators built their understanding of events. The article was published by Brut India approximately six days after initial reports of the case had appeared in other Indian media outlets. Brut's reporting emphasized the forensic and digital dimensions of the police investigation, describing how authorities drew on phone records and electronic evidence in building the case. The presence of digital evidence and the discovery of a secret relationship were described by police as having played a significant role in the investigation that led to Narne's arrest on charges of allegedly murdering his wife. [2]
Bellevue Police Arrest Telugu Engineer Eight Months After Wife's Death
The News Minute reported that 30-year-old Telugu software engineer Avinash Narne was arrested by Bellevue Police on June 27, 2026, on a charge of first-degree murder of his 27-year-old wife, Sabbineni Rajitha. Prosecutors filed the murder charge on July 1, 2026. Narne was being held at King County Jail on bail set at five million dollars, which the publication noted equates to more than 47 crore rupees. Rajitha was found unresponsive inside the locked bathroom of the couple's apartment at Woodland Commons in downtown Bellevue on October 27, 2025. Emergency responders arrived and attempted to revive her, but she was declared dead at the scene. According to investigators, Narne initially told police his wife had been feeling unwell and suggested she may have suffered a medical event. The arrest came nearly eight months after Rajitha's death, following what the publication described as an extensive investigation. The News Minute reported that both Narne and his wife were from Telangana. The case drew significant attention in Telugu-language media and publications covering the South Indian diaspora in the United States. The charges represent the culmination of a prolonged Bellevue Police investigation into the circumstances of Rajitha's death at the couple's downtown Bellevue apartment. [4]
Sources: [1] The American Bazaar · [2] Brut · [4] The News Minute