Indian police said Thursday they arrested US tourists who sneaked into a highly restrictive island carrying coconuts. The incident happened seven years later, when another American was I was killed By tribes on the same island.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, stepped into the restricted territory of the Northern Sentinel, part of India’s Andaman Islands.
All outsiders, Indians and foreigners are prohibited from traveling within three miles of the island to protect Indigenous people from external illnesses and maintain their lifestyle.
“The American citizen was filed in district court after his arrest and is now remanded for three days for further questioning,” HGS Dhaliwal, police chief of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, told AFP.
Satellite photos show an island surrounded by coral reefs with thick forests and white sandy beaches.
Sentinel made the last international headline in 2018 Killed John Allen Chau27 years old, an American missionary who illegally landed on the beach.
Chau’s body has not been recovered and there have been no investigation into his death as Indian laws prohibit everyone from going to the island. Officials at the time said he was clearly shot. Killed by an arrow.
Gautam Singh / AP
India believes the wider Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands are strategically installed in major global shipping lanes. They are closer to Myanmar than mainland India.
New Delhi plans to invest at least $9 billion to expand its area’s naval and air bases, military accommodation, ports and major cities.
“Reckless and ridiculous.”
Daliwal said that Polikov would blow the mouth s from the coast of North Sentinel Island for about an hour, attracting the attention of the tribes before they land.
“He landed for a short time for about five minutes, left offerings on the shore, collected samples of sand, and recorded a video before returning to the boat,” Darywal said. “A review of his GoPro camera footage showed him entry and landing on the restricted North Sentinel Island.”
Police said Polikov was arrested late Monday about two days after he landed and had visited the area twice in recent months.
He first used an inflatable kayak in October 2024, but was stopped by hotel staff, police said Thursday. Polyakov made another unsuccessful attempt during his visit in January 2025.
This time, Polikov used another motorized inflatable boat to travel around the open seas about 22 miles from the main archipelago.
Charity Survival International issued a statement calling Polikov’s actions “deeply disturbing/”
“I believe someone might be that reckless and ridiculous,” said group director Carolina Pierce. “This person’s actions not only put their lives at risk, but also the lives of the entire Sentinel tribe, which is very well known that people who have not been touched are not immune to common external diseases like influenza and measles.
The Sentinels, whose language and habits remain a mystery to outsiders, avoid all contact and have a record of hostility towards those who try to approach them.
A photo published 20 years ago by the Indian Coast Guard and Survival International showed a sentinel man aiming for a bow and arrow on a passing helicopter.
Indian authorities are trying to indict local people who assisted in their attempts to enter the island and identify anyone who may have helped Polikov.
Andaman also says it is home to 400 powerful Jarawa tribes, and activists are threatened by contact from outsiders. Tourists previously fed local officials to spend time with Jarawa.
