Police have recovered the body of an Indian magician who went missing after being lowered into the Ganges River while tied up with chains and ropes in a Houdini-inspired stunt.

Key points: Chanchal Lahiri was lowered into the Ganges River while a large crowd watched on

Chanchal Lahiri was lowered into the Ganges River while a large crowd watched on But they became worried when he did not resurface after several minutes

But they became worried when he did not resurface after several minutes Lahiri had said he was undertaking the stunt to "revive interest in magic"

Chanchal Lahiri, known by his stage name "Jadugar Mandrake" (Wizard Mandrake), was lowered by winch into the river in Kolkata on Sunday in a yellow and red costume.

But the 40-year-old, his legs and his arms tightly bound, failed to emerge from the water, to the horror of onlookers including his family and team members.

Rescue workers scoured the fast-flowing murky waters, fearing the stunt devil drowned.

His body was discovered late on Monday (local time) in the Hooghly River, Kolkata Police port division deputy commissioner Syed Waquar Raza said.

Chanchal Lahiri successfully completed a similar stunt in Kolkata in 1998. ( Reuters )

Mr Lahiri told AFP beforehand that he had successfully pulled off a similar stunt 21 years ago at the same venue in the eastern city.

"I was inside a bulletproof glass box tied with chain and locks and dropped down from Howrah bridge. Then I came out within 29 seconds," he said.

He admitted it would be tough to free himself this time.

Chanchal Lahiri had hoped to "revive interest in magic" with the stunt. ( Supplied: Instagram )

"If I can open it up then it will be magic, but if I can't it will be tragic," he said.

He also said he was undertaking the death-defying stunt to "revive interest in magic".

When Lahiri tried another stunt at the river in 2013, he was assaulted by onlookers who saw him escape from a locked cage via a door that was clearly visible.

He was beaten and punched and his long flowing golden-brown wig was pulled off by the crowd.

Almost a decade earlier, he declared he would walk on the river waters but had to beat a hasty retreat when the act went wrong.

Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American stuntman who became a sensation in the early 20th century with daredevil feats including escaping from a crate lowered into the East River in New York in 1912.

AFP