Bhubaneswar, July 31 - Though his motive for killing himself and four family members is still a matter of investigation, senior IAS officer Jagadananda Panda is said to have 'planned the killing well in advance', police officials said Friday.

According to Panda's personal driver Upendra Munda, the senior official of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, had test fired a few shots from his licensed revolver a day before the incident.

'A day before he stopped the car and took out his revolver. He fired a few rounds of bullets from his revolver on the way back home. I was scared. Later he re-assured me,' said Munda, his personal driver.

Panda reportedly had planned the killings well in advance and had bought a few rounds of bullets from an armoury in Bhubaneswar.

However, the police are still investigating the case and trying to establish the motive behind the killing. The police have recovered a licensed revolver from the spot of the killings.

'We have recovered a .32 bore revolver from the incident site. We will soon crack the case,' said Police Inspector General Y.B. Khurania.

Panda, 54, was an Orissa cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, posted as protector general of emigrants in New Delhi. He had come to his ancestral village Deogaon in Bargarh district, about 390 km from here, on leave a few days ago.