Okinawa [Japan], May 11 (ANI): Three Chinese nationals were arrested on a holiday Island of Japan after thousands of protected hermit crabs were found smuggled in suitcases, CNN reported on Saturday.

According to CNN, the police arrested the Chinese nationals after thousands of protected hermit crabs were found stuffed into multiple suitcases.

CNN reported, citing the police on Amami Islands that the three suspects - Liao Zhibin, 24, Song Zhenhao, 26, and Guo Jiawei, 27 - were found to have 160 kilograms (353 pounds) of the live crustaceans in their possession on Wednesday.

The police said a hotel worker in Amami, a city on the island of Amami Oshima, alerted environmental authorities after spotting something suspicious about the suitcases the three men had asked hotel staff to watch.

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

Upon the arrival of officers at the hotel, it was found that the spiral-shelled hermit crabs were stuffed into six suitcases, according to police.

When they returned to the hotel on Wednesday, the three men were arrested for possessing the crustaceans without proper authorization, Kyodo News reported, as per CNN.

However it continues to remain unclear why the three men were transporting the crustaceans.

Police did not provide further details on the exact species, but told CNN Friday that the hermit crabs seized are classified as 'national natural monuments' in Japan as they hold cultural and scientific value, and are thereby protected under the Japanese law.

As per CNN, the Amami archipelago, off southwestern Kyushu and just north of Okinawa, is a popular tourist destination and known to be home to a diverse array of native plants and animals.

As per Kyodo News, the authorities believe the three suspects may have intended to sell the crabs, which were packed in a total of six suitcases. It further noted that the police have not said whether the three have admitted to the allegations. (ANI)