Port Blair, India — Indian authorities have arrested a 24-year-old American YouTuber, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, for illegally venturing onto the highly restricted North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal in an attempt to make contact with one of the world’s most isolated and uncontacted tribes.
Polyakov, who hails from Scottsdale, Arizona, was taken into custody on March 31, two days after setting foot on the protected island, which is home to the Sentinelese — a reclusive Indigenous group known for aggressively defending their isolation. The tribe is believed to have lived without outside contact for thousands of years and is protected under Indian law.
According to Indian police, Polyakov landed on North Sentinel Island at around 10 a.m. on March 29. Armed with a GoPro camera, binoculars, and a backpack containing a can of Diet Coke and a coconut, he reportedly attempted to document his encounter and offer gifts to the tribe. GoPro footage later reviewed by police showed Polyakov scanning the beach from his boat before stepping ashore, leaving the items as an offering, and collecting sand samples from the shoreline.
Fortunately for Polyakov, no tribe members were seen during his brief and unauthorized visit — a fact that may have spared him from the tribe’s historically hostile response to outsiders. The Sentinelese are known to attack anyone who approaches or lands on their island, often with spears and arrows.
India strictly prohibits any approach within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of North Sentinel Island to protect both the tribe and potential intruders from harm. The law is enforced under the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, and violations carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a monetary fine.
Authorities said Polyakov had previously attempted to reach the island twice before. In one earlier incident, he used an inflatable kayak in October last year but was stopped by hotel staff. This most recent trip, however, was allegedly more calculated, involving detailed research into sea conditions, tides, and points of access from nearby Khurmadera Beach.
His activities were discovered after local fishermen reported seeing him returning from the island. He was arrested in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a remote Indian territory located over 800 miles (1,200 kilometers) east of the mainland.
A local court has remanded Polyakov to 14 days in judicial custody. He is due to appear in court again on April 17. The U.S. Embassy has been informed of the case, Indian officials confirmed.
Experts warn that such contact attempts not only endanger visitors but also pose a serious health threat to the Sentinelese, who have no immunity to common infectious diseases.
The incident draws renewed attention to the challenges of enforcing protected zones and the growing trend of content creators pushing boundaries for online fame.
Police have reiterated that the laws protecting tribal communities are in place for a reason — and they will be strictly enforced.
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