An unidentified China tourist was fined in a resort in Ari Atoll after the management discovered a crab in the room safe.
Room attendant Ali had heard something moving inside the safe during a routine turnover. Ali had reported the suspicion to the manager and had questioned the tourist. After the tourist opened the safe in the presence of both Ali and the manager, the crab had crawled out of the safe and scurried under the bed.
House keeping had reportedly spent hours trying to get the crab out of the room. When questioned, the tourist had admitted to catching the crab at the beach and had planned to eat it later in a mini rice cooker he had brought with him.
The tourist had at first tried to keep the crab in the bathtub. But as it continuously crawled out, he then put it in the safe to prevent it from getting away.
The tourist had been fined USD300 over the incident. Tourists have been fined in incidents of harming sea creatures and corals in the past.
