Update on tourist arrested after illegally sailing to ‘world’s most isolated tribe’ to leave them can of coke
There's been an update on the American influencer and tourist who was arrested last year for trying to contact 'the most isolated indigenous people in the world'.
North Sentinel Island, located in the Bay of Bengal within the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is illegal and off-limits to visitors within a three-mile radius in order to protect the Sentinelese, who have lived in isolation for thousands of years.
Known to react violently to outsiders, the tribe uses bows, arrows and spears to attack visitors who approach their territory.
YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov was attempting to film in the high restricted area in March 2025, and reportedly spent around an hour on the beach attempting to attract the attention of the Sentinelese tribe by blowing a whistle.
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When no one appeared, the 24-year-old left a can of Diet Coke and a coconut as offerings, and came away with footage for his channel before returning to his boat.
Local fishermen spotted the content creator and reported him to authorities, who arrested him in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Police said Polyakov's 'actions posed a serious threat to the safety and well-being of the Sentinelese people, whose contact with outsiders is strictly prohibited by the law to protect their indigenous way of life'.
"He planned meticulously over several days to visit the island and make a contact with the Sentinel tribe," said senior police officer Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal.
An update on Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov's status
The Daily Mail reports that Polyakov has been charged with entering a prohibited tribal reserve and violating strict Indian laws that ban outsiders from interacting with the Sentinelese people.
If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison. He is due to appear in court again on 29 April.
Survival International, a group that protects the rights of Indigenous peoples, said Polyakov's attempted contact with the tribe was 'reckless and idiotic'.
"This person's actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk," the group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement.
"The Sentinelese have made their wish to avoid outsiders incredibly clear over the years – I’m sure many remember the 2018 incident in which an American missionary, John Allen Chau, was killed by them after landing on their island to try to convert them to Christianity," she added.
"It’s good news that the man in this latest incident has been arrested, but deeply disturbing that he was reportedly able to get onto the island in the first place."
Why is it so important for the Sentinelese tribe not to be contacted?
As well as the Sentinelese making it clear they don't want to be contacted, outside contact can also pose a huge threat to their way of life and wellbeing.
Survival International works hard to ensure the tribe's wish to remain uncontacted is respected, as they could be wiped out by diseases to which they have no immunity.
Isolated tribes such as the Sentinelese have little to no immunity to common diseases of the west, meaning any infectious disease carried by a visitor would likely be lethal to the community.
However, despite this risk, Survival International has said the overall health of the tribe is very good - basically, they have so little contact with groups carrying infectious disease, so this is simply not a problem for them.
Their problem, however, is the availability of food, which depends on the weather and related factors.
Topics: Travel, Crime, World News
Anish Vij