MAGICIAN ‘Wizard Mandrake’ died because he hadn’t fully briefed his crew on his final stunt, so they had no idea he was in trouble. His assistants waited 15 minutes after his body was lowered into the River Ganges before they raised an alarm. A crane lowered ‘Wizard Mandrake’, born Chanchal Lahiri, into the river at […]
MAGICIAN ‘Wizard Mandrake’ died because he hadn’t fully briefed his crew on his final stunt, so they had no idea he was in trouble.
His assistants waited 15 minutes after his body was lowered into the River Ganges before they raised an alarm.
A crane lowered ‘Wizard Mandrake’, born Chanchal Lahiri, into the river at Kolkata, while the Indian star’s loved ones, fans, reporters and police watched from the river banks on Sunday.
But the tightly-shackled 40-year-old failed to emerge from the water after being released into the current from a metal hook in a bid to recreate a Houdini trick.
He was supposed to free himself from the chains and swim to the surface, but failed due to a series of blunders.
Rescue workers discovered his body on Monday evening after a frantic 24-hour search.
The tragic news was confirmed by deputy commissioner of the port division of Kolkata police, Syed Waquar Raza.
Today police revealed there were basic mistakes in the magician’s plan, including failing to tell his crew about his escape plan to break the six locks that held the chains.
According to local reports, Lahiri’s team waited 15 minutes before raising an alarm that he was missing.
He wore heavy clothes that would have made swimming in the fast-flowing and murky water very difficult.
Also, the trick took place an hour before the scheduled time, meaning many people weren’t sure if it was a trial run or the real stunt.
Magician PC Sarkar, known in region as a master of similar stunts, told the Times of India that Lahiri might have “needed a little more practice”.
Police plan to investigate whether Lahiri exploited loopholes in the local administration to get permission to perform the Houdini-inspired stunt.
Syed Waquar Raza claimed the magician did not tell authorities he was going to jump into the water and initially said he would only do the stunt on a boat.
He added: “When he did not surface for a long time, people panicked. Some onlookers said they saw a man struggling, seeking help, in the middle of the river.
“Lahiri stated the stunt was to happen on a boat or vessel, hence we allowed him permission.”
A source also told local media that a “case of negligence is likely to be registered”.
Before Lahiri entered the river he reportedly said it would be “magic” if he freed himself, but “tragic” if he couldn’t.
The magician last successfully pulled off a similar stunt 21 years ago in the same river.
He was locked inside a bullet proof glass box and tied with a chain.
During this stunt he was dropped from Howrah bridge, but managed to come out in seconds, according to reports.
But when he tried it again in 2013, he was assaulted by witnesses who claimed it was fake.
Onlookers reportedly saw him escape from the locked cage through a visible door, within seconds.
Harry Houdini became a sensation in the early 20th century with daredevil feats including escaping from a crate lowered into New York’s East River in 1912.
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