An American travel vlogger has been arrested in India after he illegally journeyed to North Sentinel Island, one of the most heavily restricted and remote territories on Earth, in a bizarre attempt to meet the Sentinelese — a tribe completely untouched by modern civilization.
North Sentinel Island is untouched by modern civilization. Credit: DigitalGlobe via Getty Images
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov – from Scottsdale, Arizona – was taken into custody by Indian authorities after allegedly sneaking onto the protected island with a coconut and a can of Diet Coke in tow.
The island, part of India’s Andaman archipelago, is home to between 50 and 200 members of the Sentinelese tribe, considered the most isolated Indigenous group in the world.
According to Indian police, per The Washington Post, Polyakov made landfall in an inflatable boat, spent about five minutes on the island collecting sand samples and recording video, then returned offshore, where he blew a whistle for over an hour in an attempt to attract the tribe’s attention.
The 24-year-old ultimately left after receiving no response.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov has been arrested and is currently being held by police. Credit: YouTube/Neo-Orientalist (Screenshot)
Indian law strictly prohibits anyone from approaching within three miles of North Sentinel Island.
The government maintains this buffer to protect the Sentinelese from outside contact, which could expose them to modern diseases for which they have no immunity — even something as common as the flu could prove deadly.
HGS Dhaliwal, the police chief for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said in a statement that “Polyakov was just trying to be a thrill seeking adventurer who manages a contact with this primitive and reclusive tribe.”
Dhaliwal noted that this was Polyakov’s third attempt to reach the island after being stopped in both October 2024 and January 2025.
The Island’s tribes have known be become hostile to “visitors”. Credit: Vivek Doshi / 500px / Getty Images
“He spent about five minutes on the island, leaving the Diet Coke and coconut, collecting sand samples, and recording a video before leaving,” Dhaliwal said. The police reviewed footage from Polyakov’s GoPro, which allegedly showed him claiming “unofficial representation of the US.”
The YouTuber, who manages the Neo-Orientalist channel with just over 1,300 subscribers, had previously posted a cartoon-style teaser showing a man on a boat with a small dog heading toward a remote island, captioned: “A little Columbus Day teaser for the fans.”
Past content on his channel includes a three-week trip through Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
The YouTuber reportedly left behind a coconut and a can of Diet Coke. Credit: NurPhoto / Getty
Indian police stated that Polyakov meticulously planned his trip by studying weather patterns and tides.
He was eventually spotted by local fishermen when he returned to Kurma Dera Beach, who then reported him to authorities.
Polyakov now faces charges that could carry up to eight years in prison if convicted.
At his court appearance on Friday (April 4), Polyakov was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days ahead of his next hearing on April 17. His lawyer, Ilango Dhandapani, said the American denies the charges.
The US State Department confirmed it was aware of the situation and is monitoring it,
The incident has sparked outrage from Indigenous rights organizations. Caroline Pearce, director of the charity Survival International, condemned Polyakov’s actions as “deeply disturbing.”
“It beggars belief that someone could be that reckless and idiotic. This person’s actions not only endangered his own life, they put the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,” Pearce said, per PEOPLE. “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.”
Jonathan Mazower, a spokesperson for Survival International, called Polyakov’s behavior “completely crazy and incredibly irresponsible and reckless.” He emphasized that forcing contact on isolated tribes “almost always ends up with catastrophic levels of death among them from epidemics of diseases.”
The Sentinelese have a history of violently resisting contact with outsiders.
In 2018, American missionary John Allen Chau was killed after illegally landing on the island in a self-funded attempt to convert the tribe to Christianity. His body was never recovered, and Indian officials did not investigate due to laws prohibiting access to the island.
John Chau never returned after attempting to contact the tribe. Credit: Facebook/John Chau
Indian authorities responded swiftly, arresting seven fishermen who had assisted Chau in his ill-fated expedition.
In 2006, two Indian fishermen were killed after their boat drifted onto the island while they were asleep.
In the aftermath of Polyakov’s stunt, tribal-welfare officers conducted a boat survey around North Sentinel Island using binoculars to check that nothing hazardous had been left behind. According to police, the intent was to prevent any potential contamination or lingering items that could harm the tribe.
The island, roughly the size of Manhattan, is also near home to the Shompen — another isolated tribe living in the Andaman chain.
Tribal protection advocates have expressed growing concern about the rise of social media influencers carrying out risky stunts for content, with Mazower warning: “It’s definitely an increasing trend and really worrying.”
