American Tourist Arrested for Illegally Entering North Sentinel Island to Meet Isolated Tribe

YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov was arrested after sneaking onto the restricted territory of North Sentinel

An American tourist has been arrested in India after allegedly sneaking onto North Sentinel Island, a protected and restricted territory home to one of the world’s last uncontacted tribes. The 24-year-old, identified as Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, reportedly attempted to make contact with the Sentinelese people by landing on the island and leaving behind a coconut and a can of Diet Coke.

According to Indian authorities, Polyakov, known for posting travel content online, entered the prohibited zone of North Sentinel Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain. Indian law strictly bans any individual from coming within three nautical miles of the island in order to preserve the tribe's isolated way of life and protect them from potentially fatal exposure to modern diseases.

Tribespeople seen on the shores of a North Sentinel island beach in an undated photo

Police stated that Polyakov arrived near the island by boat and attempted to get the attention of the tribe by blowing a whistle for nearly an hour. He eventually spent approximately five minutes on the island, during which he left the items, took sand samples, and filmed a video before departing.

Following his arrest, Polyakov was presented in court and placed under a three-day remand for further interrogation. Authorities emphasized that the Sentinelese remain extremely vulnerable to outside pathogens due to their isolation and lack of immunity to common diseases.

A file photo of a Maxar satellite image of North Sentinel Island, which is one of the Andaman Islands, an Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal

The incident has drawn comparisons to the 2018 case of John Allen Chau, a 27-year-old American missionary who was killed by the Sentinelese after illegally attempting to contact them. His body was never recovered, and no investigation was conducted into his death, in keeping with Indian law prohibiting access to the island.

The attempted contact by Polyakov has drawn strong criticism from human rights and indigenous advocacy organizations. Caroline Pearce, director of Survival International, condemned the act, calling it “deeply disturbing.”

“It beggars belief that someone could be that reckless and idiotic. This person’s actions not only endangered his own life, they put the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,” Pearce stated.

She warned that uncontacted tribes such as the Sentinelese are especially vulnerable to common illnesses like influenza and measles, which could prove catastrophic to their population.

Authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident and have not yet announced potential charges or penalties.