The Indian army’s latest invention is hot, hot, hot.
Scientists working for the Indian military have created a non-toxic weapon to use in the fight against terror, using a special local ingredient — the world’s hottest chili.
The pungent “bhut jolokia” chili is 1000 times hotter than an ordinary chili and has been enjoyed by locals in eastern India for years, many of them using it to treat stomach ailments and to help with the effects of the hot weather, reports Britain’s Daily Mail.
Now, the powerful chili is to be used in a series of non-toxic weapons developed by scientists at India’s Defense Research and Development Organization, to immobilize suspects and also to create a smoke screen that will prevent snipers from using night-vision devices. The effects of the “curry bomb” are much kinder than ordinary weapons, allowing the enemy to be captured without long-term injury.
“This is definitely going to be an effective non-toxic weapon because it’s pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts,” said R. B. Srivastava, director of the Life Sciences Department at the New Delhi headquarters of the DRDO. According to reports, trials are also being carried out to see if the chili would work in the form of a spray, to be used by women to fight off attackers and for the police to disperse mobs.
Whilst chili peppers are known for their health benefiting properties, this variation certainly packs a punch. With the fiery jalapeno measuring 8000 Scoville units (the scientific measurement of a chili’s spiciness) the bhut jolokia measures a staggeringly hot 1,000,000 units.
Photo by Swamibu via Flickr.