Telugu man arrested in US for wife’s murder
HYDERABAD: Police in the US state of Washington have arrested a Telugu man on charges of murdering his wife, nearly eight months after she was found dead in the bathroom of their apartment in Bellevue.
Bellevue police arrested 30-year-old Avinash Narne on June 27. Prosecutors have charged him with first-degree murder in the death of his 27-year-old wife, Sabbineni Rajitha. He is being held in the King County Jail, where bail has been set at $5 million (over ₹47 crore).
Rajitha was found unresponsive in the locked bathroom of the couple’s apartment at Woodland Commons in downtown Bellevue on October 27, 2025.
Bellevue police said firefighters tried to save her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Avinash told investigators he returned home from work and found his wife lying on the bathroom floor.
Court documents say the couple had an arranged marriage in June 2025. They moved into the apartment shortly after their wedding.
Investigation turns into murder case
Investigators first treated the case as a suspicious death. Later, the King County Medical Examiner ruled that Rajitha died from strangulation. Police then upgraded the case to a homicide.
During the investigation, detectives reviewed electronic door-lock records, mobile phone data and WhatsApp messages.
According to court documents, investigators found no evidence that anyone other than Avinash entered the apartment around the time of Rajitha’s death.
Digital evidence strengthens case
Police alleged that Avinash maintained a secret romantic relationship with another woman in India while he was married.
Court documents also mention messages between the couple. Rajitha repeatedly told her husband that her drinks tasted bitter. On the day she died, she reportedly messaged him that a smoothie he prepared tasted like “medicine” and “cough syrup.”
Investigators also alleged that Avinash revealed details during questioning that only someone present at the scene would have known. They said he referred to a photograph of Rajitha’s body that had already been deleted from a mobile phone.
Police said the digital evidence, along with Avinash’s statements, helped identify him as the prime suspect. Detectives arrested him after a follow-up interview, and prosecutors later filed formal murder charges.
If convicted, Avinash could face a lengthy prison sentence under Washington state law.
