Authorities apprehended him following his journey, raising concerns about outsider interactions with vulnerable populations.
YouTuber Arrested for Attempting to Contact Isolated Tribe in Indian Ocean
YouTuber Arrested for Attempting to Contact Isolated Tribe in Indian Ocean
A young American man faces legal troubles after violating laws by approaching a protected tribal island.
An American vlogger, identified as Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, was arrested by Indian officials after attempting to visit the secluded North Sentinel Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The remote territory is home to the Sentinelese, a tribe known for its isolation and hostility towards outsiders, making interaction with them illegal.
On March 29, Polyakov set off on an inflatable boat equipped with a Diet Coke, a coconut, and a GoPro camera, hoping to document his encounter with the tribe. Guided by GPS, he landed on the northeastern shore of the island around 10 a.m. Upon reaching the beach, he reportedly scanned the area with binoculars but found no tribe members present. He then left the soft drinks and coconut as offerings, collected sand samples, and filmed his venture.
Authorities apprehended him on March 31 when he returned to Port Blair, the capital of the islands. The incident raised alarms due to previous tragedies involving the tribe. In 2018, American missionary John Allen Chau was killed after he attempted to make contact with the Sentinelese. The Indian government prohibits outsiders from visiting the island to protect both the indigenous people and themselves from possible harm.
