A 40-year-old Indian magician, Chanchal Lahiri drowned while attempting legendary US magician Harry Houdini's act in eastern Indian state of West Bengal, police said Tuesday.

Lahiri disappeared in the river Hoogly while trying to perform an underwater live stunt on Sunday near Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal.

Eyewitnesses said Lahiri, who was lowered into the river shackled in a six-foot-tall cage having six locks, for the underwater escape act, disappeared after the immersion.

Lahiri is known as Jadugar Mandrake (Wizard Mandrake) in India.

Following his disappearance in the river, onlookers who had gathered to watch him alerted police.

"Soon after receiving the news about his disappearance in the river, we rushed to the spot, pressed in our divers to trace him but for hours there was no trace of him," a police official told Xinhua. "Later on his body was traced some 1 km away from the spot. It had been washed away due to current in river."

Lahiri, the Indian magician was meant to escape and swim to safety like Houdini.

Houdini was famous for his ability to escape from chains or handcuffs or straitjackets or padlocked containers.

Reports said Lahiri had taken permission from police. However, police said he did not mention that the act would have a "connection with water."