The chilli hand grenade can temporarily blind its victims (Europics.at)

ARMS experts have developed a non-lethal hand grenade loaded with the world’s most powerful chillies.

Military technicians in India have developed the new crowd control grenade packed with ground seeds from the Bhut Jolokia, officially recognised as the hottest chilli on the planet by Guinness World Records.

The grenade is packed with seeds from the Bhut Jolokia chilli - the hottest in the world

When deployed the grenade showers the targets with a dust so spicy that in trials subjects were blinded for hours and left with breathing problems.

Military leaders say it will be a major breakthrough in riot control or smoking out criminals and terrorists from their hiding places.

“The chilli grenade is a non-toxic weapon and when used would force a terrorist to come out of his hideout.

“The effect is so pungent that it would literally choke them,” lead scientist R.B. Srivastava at India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation told the Austrian Times.