BELLEVUE, Wash. — 30-year-old Avinash Narne from Bellevue was charged with first-degree murder this week in connection with the strangulation death of his wife, Raajitha Sabbineni, in their home in October 2025.
Narne, who had been free for nearly eight months following the incident, was arrested last Friday after voluntarily meeting with Bellevue detectives and is now being held on $5 million bail at King County Jail.
Prosecutors allege Narne premeditated the strangulation and staged the crime scene before police arrived at their Bellevue home. Narne, originally from India, told police he was an Amazon software engineer.
Bellevue police were informed that Narne and Sabbineni had been married for only a few months through an arranged marriage when Sabbineni was found dead in a locked bathroom.
Police say Narne claimed he was out running errands when his wife was killed, but prosecutors say data from a security system helped police determine Narne was the only other person at home with Sabbineni.
Prosecutors set the $5 million bail, citing a likelihood of future violence and Narne being an extreme flight risk.
Narne is set to appear back in court next Tuesday.
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