‘Thrill-seeking’ US tourist arrested after visit to India’s restricted North Sentinel Island
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov tried to make contact with the isolated Sentinelese tribe and left offerings on the island
A “thrill-seeking” American man has been arrested for sneaking onto a forbidden Indian Ocean island that is home to the world’s most isolated tribe, sparking fears of social media influencers posing a new threat to its indigenous people.
According to Indian police, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov landed on North Sentinel Island to try to make contact with and film the isolated Sentinelese tribe on Friday last week, The Times of India reported. He brought offerings of a can of coke and a coconut.
Polyakov, 24, had arrived at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on March 26 and checked into a resort near Khurmadera Beach a day later. He left a note with the hotel staff saying he was going to visit a nearby island and would be late.
However, instead of Baratang Island, a “probe revealed that he had actually visited the restricted North Sentinel Island, entering the prohibited tribal reserve area”, a senior police officer told the Indian newspaper.
Indian police arrested Polyakov on Monday and seized his GoPro camera. During interrogation, he claimed that he was a “thrill seeker” who had previously visited Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.