Former Mongolia national team footballer Odbayar and partner detained in Istanbul

Turkish police raided a luxury residential complex in Istanbul's Sarıyer district on the morning of October 24 and detained former Mongolia national team footballer O. Odbayar and his partner D. Mandukhai. The arrests were reported by Turkish outlets Odatv and Korkusuz, and iSee.mn relayed the reports to Mongolian readers.

According to the Turkish press, Odbayar was wanted under an Interpol red notice and Mandukhai under a blue notice. The two are suspected of links to international drug trafficking. Korkusuz reported that the red notice against Odbayar was issued in Mongolia over drug dealing and theft.

Citing Turkish journalist İhsan Yalçın, the reports said the two suspects came to Turkey because they risked arrest over an investigation at home, and had been living in a luxury complex in Sarıyer. Police located them and detained both in an early-morning operation.

Turkish media described Odbayar as a midfielder who played in Mongolia's Premier League and was called up to the national team. They wrote that he may have become involved in illegal activity after ending his football career, and that he left the country because of investigations into him. Korkusuz reported that the pair would be referred to court after police take their statements.

Turkish authorities have not yet released official details of the operation, and Mongolian law enforcement has not commented publicly so far. No court has established the suspects' guilt, and the information so far comes only from press reports.

The news was widely shared by Mongolian users on X.