Three alleged wildlife smugglers were arrested here and 297 rare Indian flapshell turtles were recovered from their possession, police said on Thursday.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinod Kumar said the turtles were being transported to Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand for illegal export to China.

Based on a tip-off, Hemant Kumar, Samar Singh and Tinku were intercepted in a car near the Bujhia police outpost on Wednesday, the officer said.

Upon inspection 297 rare Indian flapshell turtles, locally known as 'Sundari turtles', were recovered from the trio's possession, he said.

Two other suspects managed to escape and efforts are underway to nab them, he added.

During interrogation the trio revealed that they fished the turtles from a pond in Karhal and they were receiving Rs 10,000 per turtle, the SP said.

The recovered turtles were handed over to forest department officials. A case has been registered against the accused under the Wildlife Protection Act, he said. The Indian flapshell turtle is included in Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which makes it illegal to hunt, trade, or keep these turtles as pets.

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