An Indian magician is feared dead after he attempted to emulate a famous Harry Houdini stunt by escaping from shackles while submerged underwater. Authorities were alerted and a search began after he failed to reemerge.
Chanchal ‘Mandrake’ Lahiri was performing at the Hooghly River in West Bengal state when something apparently went wrong. Lahiri was restrained with six locks and a chain for the stunt and was watched by spectators on board two separate boats, the shore and the overhanging Howrah Bridge.
“When he did not come out for a long time, people panicked,” senior police officer Syed Waquar Raza said as cited by the Times of India. “A couple of people said they saw a man struggling, seeking help, in the middle of the river.”
Police and teams of divers have so far been unable to locate any traces of the magician. He cannot be declared officially dead in the absence of a body.
“If I do it right, it’s magic. If I make a mistake, it becomes tragic,” Lahiri reportedly told local photographer Jayanta Shaw ahead of the act.
Lahiri, 41, has performed similar death-defying underwater tricks, popularized by Hungarian American illusionist Harry Houdini, before; some 20 years ago, he was lowered into the same river in a glass box from which he managed to escape without issue.
The entertainer was assaulted by onlookers in 2013 after they claimed he had cheated by using a trap door during a similar escape attempt.
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