An American tourist who snuck onto a highly restricted island to visit a tribe untouched by the modern world carrying a coconut and a can of Diet Coke as offerings has been arrested by Indian authorities.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, set foot on the restricted territory of North Sentinel, part of India's Andaman Islands, in a bid to meet the Sentinelese people, who are believed to number only about 150.
Indian media reports that the journey took him nine hours in a small boat on the open sea.
All outsiders including Indian nationals are banned from travelling within 5 kilometres of the island to protect the Indigenous people 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," Andaman and Nicobar Islands police chief HGS Dhaliwal told AFP.
Mr Dhaliwal said Mr 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," he said.
"A review of his GoPro camera footage showed his entry and landing into the restricted North Sentinel Island."
Police said Mr Polyakov was arrested late on Monday, about 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, police said on Thursday.
The American made another unsuccessful attempt during a visit in January 2025.
This time he used another inflatable boat with a motor to travel the roughly 35km of open sea from the main archipelago.
[MAP]Mr Polyakov's social media accounts show an interest in daring travel, including meeting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Sentinelese last made international headlines in 2018 after they killed 27-year-old American missionary John Allen Chau, who landed illegally on their beach.
Mr 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.
India sees the wider Andaman and Nicobar Islands as strategically sited on key global shipping lanes. They are closer to Myanmar than mainland India.
New Delhi plans to invest at least $9 billion ($14.18b) to expand naval and air bases, troop accommodations, the port and the main city in the region.
'Reckless and idiotic'
Survival International spokesman Johnathan Mazower told the ABC any attempt to reach the island would be "incredibly reckless and idiotic".
"[Going to the island could] put the lives of the Sentinelese people at risk because it's very well known by now that uncontacted people like this have no immunity to common outside diseases," Mr Mazower said.
"There's no excuse for it."
The Sentinelese, whose language and customs remain a mystery to outsiders, shun all contact and have a record of hostility to anyone who tries to get close.
Mr Mazower said the tribe had developed a sophisticated way of living without the need for modern industrialisation.
"They have clearly not wanted any outside interaction for a long time but they have evolved a very sophisticated way of life … and clearly thrived on this island in a self-sufficient way for a very long time," he said.
"If you look at all the photos and videos that have been taken they have been clearly extremely healthy and doing very well."
Indian authorities have prosecuted any locals who have aided attempts to enter the island and are trying to identify anyone who may have helped Mr Polyakov.
The Andamans are also home to the 400-strong Jarawa tribe, who activists say are also threatened by contact from outsiders.
Tourists have previously bribed local officials in a bid to spend time with the Jarawa.
AFP/ABC
