Okinawa [Japan], May 11 (HBTV): Three Chinese nationals were arrested on a Japanese holiday island after thousands of protected hermit crabs were discovered stuffed into suitcases, CNN reported on Saturday.

According to police on the Amami Islands, the three suspects—Liao Zhibin (24), Song Zhenhao (26), and Guo Jiawei (27)—were found to be in possession of 160 kilograms (353 pounds) of live crustaceans on Wednesday.

The arrest followed a report by a hotel worker in Amami, a city on the island of Amami Oshima, who alerted environmental authorities after noticing something suspicious about the suitcases the men had asked hotel staff to store.

‘They heard rustling sounds coming from a suitcase that was being held in storage,’ a police officer told CNN.

When officers arrived at the hotel, they found spiral-shelled hermit crabs packed into six suitcases, according to police.

The three men were arrested on Wednesday upon their return to the hotel for possessing the crustaceans without proper authorization, Kyodo News reported, as cited by CNN.

The motive for transporting the crabs remains unclear. Authorities have not provided specific details about the species but told CNN on Friday that the seized hermit crabs are classified as ‘national natural monuments’ in Japan, meaning they are protected under Japanese law due to their cultural and scientific significance.

The Amami archipelago, located off southwestern Kyushu and just north of Okinawa, is a well-known tourist destination and home to a wide variety of native flora and fauna.

According to Kyodo News, authorities suspect the men may have planned to sell the crabs. Police have not confirmed whether the suspects have admitted to the charges.

(ANI)