Left, an undated American national Mykhailo Viktorov, Polyakov, was arrested by CID on March 31 for allegedly entering North Sentinel Island without any authorization; yes, one of the items he caught from him was an inflatable ship. |Photo source: PTI
A 24-year-old American YouTuber was arrested after visiting a non-attraction island in the Indian Ocean, hoping to establish connections with the secluded tribe and was detained on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
Next, Mykhailo Viktorov will appear in the local court in Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands on April 29, police said.
Polyakov, from Scottsdale, Arizona, was arrested on March 31, two days after he set foot on the restricted territory of the North Sentinel Island to meet people from the secluded Sentinel tribe.
After he failed to contact the sentinel, he left a can of dietary coke and coconut. He took videos of the island on camera and collected some sand samples before returning to the boat.
“It could be an adventure, but the fact is that it is a violation of Indian law. Meeting outsiders who meet sentinels can endanger the survival of the tribe.” A senior police officer asked to be anonymous because he had no right to talk about the case under investigation.
Polikov is suspected of violating Indian law, which could sentence up to five years in prison and fines.
Visitors are prohibited from traveling within 3 miles (5 km) of North Sentinel Island, whose population has been isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years. Residents use spears, bows and arrows to hunt animals that roam on the densely forested islands. They are very suspicious of outsiders, and they attack anyone who lands on the beach.
In 2018, an American missionary who illegally landed on the beach was killed by North Sentinel Islanders who apparently shot him with arrows and then buried his body on the beach. In 2006, the sentry killed two fishermen who accidentally landed on the shore.
An official from the U.S. Consulate visited Polikov in prison earlier this week. “We are committed to seriously assisting our citizens abroad and are monitoring the situation,” the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi said in a statement.
Police said Polikov conducted a detailed study of ocean conditions, tides and acceptability before embarking on the journey. He stayed on the beach for about an hour, whistling to attract people’s attention, but received no response from the islanders.
After returning, he was discovered by local fishermen who informed authorities that Polikov was arrested in Port Blair, an archipelago, nearly 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) east of mainland India.
publishing – April 18, 2025 at 11:50 am IST
