Kolkata magician disappears in Hooghly waters after river magic trick

Kolkata: Chanchal Lahiri, 41, a magician from Kolkata was feared drowned in the Hooghly river on Sunday while he performed the underwater escape act in front of onlookers, The Times of India reported.

Lahiri, who went by his stage name Mandrake, had performed a similar act in 2013 when he was assaulted by the onlookers who felt cheated as they caught the trick.

The underwater escape act was popularised by Harry Houdini almost a century back.

The Times of India reported that there were multiple reports about the incident. The accident happened around 1235 hours near pillar 28 of Howrah Bridge. A source said that Lahiri had taken a launch to the broadest part of the river. The spectators were on the vessel, at the shore and bridge.