Seattle

An Amazon software engineer in Washington state is accused of strangling his wife — whom he viewed "as an obstacle" to being with a woman he loved from India — just months after their "arranged marriage," according to police.

Avinash Narne, 30, of Bellevue, is charged with murder for the October 2025 death of his wife, whose name is being withheld at the request of her family.

Police say Narne, who is originally from India, married the victim through an arranged marriage in June 2025 and they moved in together in July 2025. Narne claimed he was out running errands when his wife was strangled to death inside a bathroom in their home. He told investigators that he came home to find her locked in the bathroom.

"Officers forced entry into the bathroom and located [Narne's wife] laying prone on the bathroom floor," a probable cause affidavit says. "Medics removed [Narne's wife] from the bathroom and positioned her in the living room while they attempted lifesaving procedures."

Narne's wife was pronounced dead at the scene and her autopsy report listed the manner of death as "homicide" and the cause of death as "asphyxia due to strangulation." Traces of THC were detected in her urine.