This dramatic footage shows drug smugglers throwing huge sacks full of marijuana in front of police during a dramatic high-speed pursuit down a narrow road at night.

The incident unfolded near the village of Chitrakonda, in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on the night of September 17.

Footage captured from inside a police patrol vehicle shows the peddlers speeding across a narrow mountain road surrounded by trees and bushes.

As the crooks make their getaway, they begin throwing cannabis bundles on the road, apparently in an attempt to ditch the heavy load and gain speed while hindering police's efforts to stay close on track.

Although officers managed to avoid the discarded sacks, they were unable to catch the fleeing suspects.

Afterwards, the seized the bundles which reportedly contained over 900 kilogrammes of cannabis.

They also found the vehicle abandoned in the Darakonda village, near the Andhra-Odisha border where the drugs were apparently headed.

The Chitrakonda Police said: 'On Sunday, we received intelligence about the execution of illegal deal in contraband cannabis near Rekhapalli village in Chitrakonda area.

'Our team immediately rushed to the spot to nab the smugglers who were from Andhra Pradesh.'

The vehicle reportedly did not stop when the patrolling police asked it to halt for inspection. Instead, it picked up speed and led police on a 12-mile long chase.

Police said that at one point they even fired warning shorts but the smugglers kept fleeing, leaving behind the drugs.

They added: 'We seized the vehicle along with contraband ganja weighing 950 kgs valued at around Rs 45 lakh [GBP 43,787].

'Ownership of the vehicle is yet to be established.

'We have launched a manhunt to nab the accused peddlers who managed to escape.'