Sitting on a boat on a river in West Bengal, India, magician Chanchal Lahiri had others bind him in ropes and chains and prepare to barricade him in a cage down in the water.
He turned to fans.
"If I can open it up, then it will be magic," Lahiri said, according to the Guardian, "but if I can't, it will be tragic."
But after the magician - known by his stage name, Jadugar Mandrake - disappeared Sunday into the Hooghly River in Kolkata during his Houdini-inspired performance, he never reappeared, according to Agence France-Presse. A search-and-rescue crew has been combing the waters to find him, but police told the news agency Monday he is believed to be dead.
Authorities said Lahiri had not planned for contingencies.