A joint team of the Department of Forest and the Rab seized 57 turtles weighing over 150 kilograms from Shakhari Bazar of old Dhaka yesterday.

Three traders were also arrested in this connection.

Traders had collected those turtles from different districts and taken them there for sale, said Ashim Kumar Mallick, wildlife inspector of Wildlife Crime Control Unit under the Department of Forest, who was with the team.

The team recovered three species of turtles from the spot, including Indian softshell turtle, Peacock softshell turtle and Indian roofed turtle.

There were four softshell mother turtles among the 57 turtles.

Of the three arrestees, two were jailed for nine months, while the other was sentenced to three months in prison.

Tapan Kumar Dey, conservator of forest, told journalists that according to the Bangladesh Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012, the trading, carrying, transporting and hunting of turtles are a punishable offence.

The Department of Forest later released the turtles into the Gazipur Safari Park.