The probe into the murder of State Bank of India’s Patliputra branch head cashier James Michael Dextas suffered a setback on Friday because the three CCTV cameras installed in the financial institution were merely for live streaming.

A day after James was shot in his chamber, senior cops said the cameras in the bank did not have the recording facility. Finding no lead from them, the police virtually groped in the dark about the head cashier’s murderer though they claimed to have detained a few persons.

The bank officials, especially branch manager Vijay Kumar, had asserted on Thursday that the cameras were in working condition. But a day after, the police found their claim to be far from the reality.

“There are no recordings in the three cameras and the police, after checking them, could not get any lead. Yet, investigations into the case are on,” Patna senior superintendent of police Amrit Raj told The Telegraph.

“The cameras installed in the bank cannot record anything. As a result, they do not have pictures and are almost useless for the cops. The police are at present taking down the statement of the employees at the bank for intricate details of the incident and the deceased. Some people have been detained and are being interrogated. The police have some leads and things are being worked out at the moment,” another police officer said.

The police have almost ruled out the possibility of bank robbery being the motive behind the murder. Sources in the police said initially two points were coming to the fore.

“First, James could be killed for opposing to alleged anomalies in disbursing bank loans. Second, he could be killed for some rivalry in personal life,” another officer said.

The police have not completely ruled out the mistaken identity angle also.

“The bank employees told the police that the assailant was looking for one ‘Verma’. Initial investigations revealed that a person called Verma worked in the bank earlier. He was transferred to some other branch a few months bank. The police are looking for all angles and the case will be solved soon,” the officer said.

The police are, however, sure about one thing — the assailant was desperate. “The assailant was carrying three firearms. The police recovered the third — a pen pistol — late on Thursday evening. There was every possibility of he being caught. Why should someone enter a packed office to kill a person unless he is desperate?” reasoned the officer.

As the police probe continued, SBI Staff Association members resorted to sloganeering claiming that the bank manger went back on his word of keeping the branch closed on Friday as a mark of respect to James. The manager buckled under the pressure and decided to close the branch.

“It was announced that the bank would remain closed today (Friday). But we reached the premises and found the employees working. This was not acceptable in any form and so we protested,” Vijay Kumar Rai, the assistant general secretary of the association, told The Telegraph, adding that the bank would remain closed on Saturday and Monday.

He said: “The bank had an unarmed security guard and the CCTV cameras and the alarm system at the bank did not work. This is a case of a total negligence on the part of the branch manager. The state government is also responsible for the security of the banks. So, we have demanded a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the family of the deceased from the bank and Rs 50 lakh as compensation from the state government.”