US man arrested for entering restricted North Sentinel Island in Andamans

A US national was arrested in Andaman and Nicobar Islands for allegedly entering the prohibited tribal reserve area of the North Sentinel Island, police said on Wednesday.

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov (24), arrested by the CID on March 31, had allegedly entered the North Sentinel Island without any authorisation, they said.

He arrived in Port Blair on March 26 and ventured to North Sentinel Island from the Kurma Dera beach, they said.

He launched his boat from Kurma Dera beach around 1 am on March 29, carrying a coconut and a can of cola as "offerings for the Sentinelese", police said.

Polyakov reached the northeastern shore of North Sentinel Island by 10 am. Using binoculars, he surveyed the area but saw no inhabitants, they said.

He remained offshore for an hour, blowing a whistle to attract attention, but received no response.

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, police said.

At 1 pm, he started his return journey and reached Kurma Dera Beach by 7 pm, where he was spotted by local fishermen, they said.

DGP HS Dhaliwal told PTI, "We are getting more details about him and his intention to visit the reserved tribal area. We are also trying to find where else he had visited during his stay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. We are questioning the hotel staff where he was staying in Port Blair."  Among the items seized from him were an inflatable boat and an outboard motor or OBM, which he had assembled at a local workshop.

Police said he had planned his journey meticulously -- conducted research on sea conditions, tides, and accessibility from the Kurma Dera beach.

He used GPS navigation throughout his voyage, they said.

Polyakov, whose father is of Ukrainian origin, was found in possession of a GoPro camera, and its footage showed him landing on North Sentinel Island, police said.

He is at present in police custody on the direction of a court for further interrogation.

Police said this was not his first visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

He visited Port Blair in October last year and attempted reconnaissance for North Sentinel Island using an inflatable kayak, but was stopped by hotel staff.

He also came to the islands in January this year, and had attempted to procure a motor for his boat. During that visit, he went to Baratang Islands, and allegedly illegally videographed the Jarawa tribe, police said.

An FIR was registered against him under the Foreigners Act, 1946, along with sections of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Amendment Regulation, 2012, on the basis of a complaint lodged at the Ograbraj police station by the Tribal Welfare Officer of Tirur, Pronab Sircar.

Intimation about his arrest was communicated to the Home Department for further communication to the Ministry of External Affairs and the US Embassy, police said.

The Sentinelese, who inhabit the North Sentinel Island, are designated as a particularly vulnerable tribal group. They belong to the broader class of Andamanese people.

They are hostile to outsiders and have killed people who approached or landed on the island.

American missionary John Chau was killed in November 2018 when he attempted to contact the Sentinelese, considered the world's last pre-Neolithic tribe.