Stunt Gone Wrong: Kolkata Magician Lowered Into Ganga For Houdini-Style Trick, Found Dead

Chanchal Lahiry, known by his stage name 'Jadugar Mandrak', was lowered into the Ganga on Sunday. He was tied up with steel chains and a rope, in a bid to recreate Harry Houdini's famed trick by jumping shackled into a river.

He was not only to be blindfolded, but his hands and legs were also to be tied up. He was to be picked up in that position from the boat by a crane, stationed on the Howrah Bridge, that would in turn lower him into the river.

AFP

The magic was that he would come out of the water, by untying himself on his own.

Accordingly, he went to the middle of the river just underneath the bridge from where he was picked up by the crane and thrown into the river near pillar number 28 of the bridge.

¡°If I can open it up, then it will be magic, but if I can¡¯t, it will be tragic,¡± he told the crowd before being lowered.

The spectators who had gathered to cheer for him started to panic, after Lahiri did not come out of the water for more than 10 minutes. The police along with Disaster Management Group began a search for after receiving information that he did not emerge from the river.

AFP

¡°We tried to spot him. But it seems the stream has swept him away. Our divers dived deep, but could not locate him." The police had to stop the search because of darkness.

After a three-day-long search, Lahiri¡¯s body, limbs still tied with steel chains, was washed up about 1 km away from the site of the attempt.

¡°He was a great stunt artist and this is a big loss for the Indian magic community,¡± The Guardian quoted Madan Bharti, historian of Magic as saying.

Lahiri had taken permission from both Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Port Trust, the police said.

¡°He had mentioned the act was to happen in a boat or vessel and there was no connection with water. Hence we allowed him permission." It seems like Lahiri got away by not making any mention of the actual stunt.

This wasn't Lahiri's first failed attempt at a magic trick - a decade ago, he claimed he would walk on the river, but failed. He was also almost attacked by a mob in 2013 when he performed the same stunt and spectators believed he had cheated.