KOLKATA: A 40-year-old Kolkata based magician, Mandrake , who tried to do tricks like legendary magician of escape games Harry Houdini, drowned in the river Hooghly here while trying to perform an underwater live stunt on Sunday.

Eyewitnesses said Chanchal Lahiri, who was lowered into the river standing in a six-foot tall cage having six locks, from Millenium Park here for the underwater escape act, disappeared near pillar number 28 of the Howrah Bridge .

The police on Monday evening said a body resembling the magician was found near Ramkrishnapur ghat in Howrah but it was yet to bve identified by his family members.

Lahiri, a resident of southern suburbs of Kolkata, had done the same trick in 2013 in same Hooghly river, but this time he ran out of luck and drowned.

Six years back, people watching his stunt show had reportedly assaulted him after seeing through his trick.

The wizard mandrake was trying to do escape act popularised by American stunt performer Harry Houdini around 100 years back.

The police along with Disaster Management Group began a search for him on Sunday after receiving information that he did not emerge from the river.

"We tried to spot him. But it seems the stream has swept him away. Our divers dived deep, but could not locate him. Because of darkness, we had to temporarily stop our search operation on Sunday evening," a senior police officer said.

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

"However, he vaguely mentioned an 'extra act' which he did not clarify. We are investigating," a senior police officer said.

Lahiri took a ferry from Fairly Place Ghat at around noon to perform the magic, an onlooker said.

"The magic that Lahiri was to perform was very risky and complicated," he said.

