Indian-origin restaurant owner in North Carolina arrested for attempt to murder wife.
An Indian-origin restaurant owner in North Carolina is facing charges of attempt to murder his wife after a domestic violence incident got reported to the police as their daughter called the 911 when 49-year-old Mathivanan Pothiyappan started chasing his wife on the road. The incident took place earlier this month and Pothiyappan was charged on April 4 with assault on a female, communicating threats and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Four days later, another case was filed charging Pothiyappan with attempted first-degree murder.Pothiyappan is the owner of CholaNad Indian restaurant on West Franklin Street which is now closed after his arrest, local reports claimed. Pothiyappan told CBS17 that the restaurant would soon reopen. He did not comment on the charges against him.The wife told the police that Pothiyappan has always been abusive, verbally and physically. She said he hit her with dumbbells and burned her on earlier occasions. On April 4, as they were arguing since the morning, Pothiyappan threw objects at her and hit her with a bag full of medicine. Then he went to the kitchen and said: “Today, I’m going to take this knife and kill you.”Pothiyappan’s wife ran out of the home in the meantime and Pothiyappan started chasing her in his car. This was when Pothiyappan’s daughter called 911.Pothiyappan was given a $5,000 on the initial charges and was released on April 6. After the attempted murder charge was filed, he was arrested again and given a $100,000 bond.His pre-trial release conditions include no contact with family involved in the incident, and surrendering his passport.CholaNad is a well-known South Indian cuisine restaurant in North Carolina. “The name CholaNad is derived from the great Chola Empire of Tamils. Cholas were one of the prime seafaring and colonizing empires of the classical world from 320 BC-1279 AD. Cholas presented their culture and of course their food to the countries they traded with and ruled. For example, The Thai food and their culture are heavily influenced by the Tamil cuisine due to Cholas,” its website said.
