BETHESDA, MD. - November 7, 2009 - The wife of an International Monetary Fund economist spoke out for the first time Friday about the attack on her husband. She asked the public for help in solving a crime she says has traumatized and shaken her family.
Dr. Ashoka Mody was shot multiple times as he pulled into the garage of his Bethesda home the night of October 8. Montgomery County Police have ruled out robbery as a motive as well as the doctor’s work with the IMF, but they have stopped just short of calling it a hit.
Holding what she described as prayers in her hands, Jyothsna Mody spoke from the heart, asking reporters not to show her face.
"My husband is a very hard-working family man," said Mrs. Mody. "No one can understand why anything like this could possibly have happened to him."
What’s clear is that Dr. Mody pulled into the garage attached to his house and as he or the shooter opened the driver's side door of his vehicle, he was shot multiple times by a gunman who dropped a mask in the driveway and left the neighborhood.
"I have always been very sheltered,” said Mrs. Mody. “Nothing in the life I've lead so far ever prepared me for an event of this kind."
Police are now hoping $36,000 in reward money will be tempting enough for someone to tip off the police.
"This happened pretty quick for him,” said Captain Paul Starks of the Montgomery County Police Department. “And it was a surprise. It was dark. He pulls into his garage and he is shot-- he was only able to describe the person involved as a person."
If the shooter said anything to Dr. Mody, police aren’t saying. What we do know is that Jyothsna Mody was at home at the time. She heard the shots and called 911.
"Please, I appeal to all of you to come forward with any tips-- any tips whatsoever," Mrs. Mody said.
Police are working on the theory that the shooter left the neighborhood in a car driven with its lights out.
Dr. Mody, an expert on European economies, is now in what is described as a step-down unit, recovering from his wounds. He is able to communicate with his family and police.
Investigators say the suspect was last seen fleeing on foot from the victim's driveway, and a small, dark-colored car was seen on Millwood Road headed in the direction of Goldsboro Road around the time of the shooting. The car had its lights off.
The suspect is described only as an individual of medium build who was dressed in dark clothing and wore a mask, which was recovered near the scene of the attack. Police released photos of the mask in hopes someone may recognize it.
