Lucknow, May 22 (IANS): Three persons have been arrested while trying to smuggle turtles from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh to Uttarakhand.

They were arrested late on Sunday night near the Anantram toll plaza on the Etawah-Kanpur highway.

A total of 13 live turtles of protected species were recovered from the accused by a joint team of the Forest Department and Special Task Force.

"A total of 13 live turtles of protected species were recovered. The accused have been taken into custody. Further probe underway," said, Atul Kant Shukla, Divisional Director Forest, Etawah.

In February this year, acting on a tip-off, Railway Protection Force personnel had recovered 150 turtles from a sleeper class bogie of the North East Express in Uttar Pradesh's Deen Dayal Upadhyay junction and detained nine people in this connection.

The turtles were being taken from the Sangam coast of Prayagraj to Katihar in Bihar to be sold in villages there.