THE police have arrested a US tourist who snuck onto a restricted island carrying a coconut and a can of Diet Coke to a tribe untouched by the modern world.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, set foot on North Sentinel, part of India’s Andaman Islands, on Saturday in a bid to meet the Sentinelese people, who are believed to number around 150.
All outsiders, Indians and foreigners alike, are banned from travelling within 5km of the island to protect the locals from outside diseases and to preserve their way of life.
“The American citizen was presented before the local court after his arrest and is now on a three-day remand for further interrogation,” said Andaman and Nicobar Islands police chief HGS Dhaliwal.
Satellite imagery show a coral reef-fringed island – stretching to some 10km at its widest point – with thick forest and white sand beaches.
The Sentinelese last made international headlines in 2018 after they killed John Allen Chau, 27, an American missionary who landed illegally on their beach.
Chau’s body was not recovered and there were no investigations over his death because of the Indian law prohibiting anyone from going to the island.
Dhaliwal said Polyakov kept blowing a whistle off the shore of North Sentinel Island for about an hour to attract the tribe’s attention before he went ashore.
“He landed briefly for about five minutes, left the offerings on the shore, collected sand samples, and recorded a video before returning to his boat,” Dhaliwal said.
Police said Polyakov was arrested on Monday, two days after he went ashore, and had visited the region twice in recent months.
He first used an inflatable kayak in October 2024 but was stopped by hotel staff. Polyakov made another unsuccessful attempt during in January 2025.
This time, Polyakov used another inflatable boat with a motor to travel the roughly 35km of open sea from the main archipelago.
The Sentinelese, whose language and customs remain a mystery, shun all contact and have a record of hostility to anyone who tries to get close.
Authorities have prosecuted locals who have aided attempts to enter the island and are trying to identify anyone who may have helped Polyakov. — AFP
