Hoax claims that a giant crab had been spotted in Bahrain were nothing more than a publicity stunt, it has emerged.

The Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication, recently reported on advertising and marketing agency Ogilvy and Mather's assertion that a crab called 'Portunus Giganticus' had allegedly been spotted off the coast of Sitra.

Supposedly, the monster crustacean measured 5m across and weighed upwards of 50kg - bigger than any species of crab ever recorded.

Speaking exclusively to the GDN, former president of the Sitra-based Bahrain Fishermen's Society Waheed Al Dossary debunked the claims immediately - although it was not initially clear why the hoax had been orchestrated.

Oglivy and Mather refused to comment, but as one eagle-eyed reader pointed out in a letter published in the GDN on Sunday 'the name of the so-called eminent Madagascan expert professor Cigam Dnalsi', who was reportedly visiting Bahrain to study the crabs, 'would appear to spell 'Island Magic' backwards'.

Further investigation was obviously required, and an advertisement printed on page five of the GDN yesterday appeared to hold the answer.

The advert, which showed a family of four interacting with an oversized, computer-generated image of a crab, was taken out by none other than Seef Properties '“ the owner and operator of Seef Mall.

Seef Mall boasts a large indoor amusement park called 'Magic Island', which has been undergoing a revamp and is due to reopen on August 30 - so it would appear the mystery has been solved.

However, neither Seef Properties nor Oglivy and Mather responded to a request for comment. - TradeArabia News Service