Bhubaneswar, March 6 -- A car carrying suspected illegal country liquor plunged into a canal while attempting to evade police on Thursday night near Bata village in Jaleswar on State Highway 57 in Odisha's Balasore district. Police recovered eight sacks of country liquor from the vehicle, while the driver managed to escape and remains absconding.

According to police sources, a patrol team noticed the car moving suspiciously and signalled it to stop for inspection. Instead of complying, the driver sped away, prompting a brief chase that ended when the vehicle lost control and fell into a canal near Brahmanda.

Police said the driver accelerated in an attempt to evade the patrol team after being asked to stop. During the chase, the car wen...