US Tourist Arrested After Attempting To Visit Isolated Island Tribe

1 week ago 6

A 24-year-old American tourist was arrested after attempting to make contact with “world’s most isolated” tribe on North Sentinel Island, located in the Indian Ocean.

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, a self-proclaimed "thrill seeker" from Arizona, was taken into custody by authorities after he reportedly made his way to the island and tried to engage with the Sentinelese people, who have traditionally had minimal contact with the outside world.

Polyakov, who traveled to the island over the weekend, allegedly left a can of Diet Coke and a coconut on the shore and blew a whistle for an hour in an effort to draw out the tribe while filming the scene. Luckily, none of the island’s inhabitants actually emerged.

According to Fox 5, Polyakov whispered into the camera, “This is it. The last uncontacted tribe. The last mystery. If they see me, will they attack? Or will they accept me?”

Someone on a neighboring island swiftly reported his actions to the Nicobar Islands police, leading to Polyakov’s arrest late on Monday, just two days after his landing on the island. Traveling within three nautical miles of North Sentinel Island, which is protected as a tribal reserve, is against the law. The perpetrator now faces a potential prison sentence of three to eight years for violating these laws.

According to Indian authorities, Polyakov’s arrest follows two previous failed attempts to reach North Sentinel Island. In October 2024, he tried to use an inflatable kayak, but was stopped by hotel staff before he could get close to the island. During another unsuccessful attempt in January 2025, he boarded a motorized inflatable boat and sailed over nine hours to reach the forbidden territory.

North Sentinel Island has been off-limits to outsiders for generations, with Indian authorities taking strict measures to protect the tribe from outside interference. Disconnected from the outside world for thousands of years, little is known about the island’s inhabitants and their way of life, including how many of them there are.

However, the Sentinelese are known to be deeply distrustful of outsiders, and any attempt at contact is met with hostility. Scholars also warn that contact with such isolated tribes can be hazardous, as the islanders have no immunity to diseases brought by outsiders.

The most recent attempt by an American to visit the island ended in tragedy. John Allen Chau, 26, was killed by the tribe in 2018, with tribe members shooting him with arrows before dragging his body onto the island. His remains were never recovered.

Survival International, an advocacy group for the rights of tribal people, said, "It beggars belief that someone could be that reckless and idiotic," adding, "This person’s actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk. It’s very well known by now that uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out."

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.