American “Thrill Seeker” Arrested for Trespassing on Protected Sentinelese Island

At age 24 Mykhailo Polyakov from America violated regulations when he came to North Sentinel Island which authorities guard to safeguard tribal homes. Andaman and Nicobar Police evoked their arrest warrant after finding GoPro camera footage from their seizure which proved Polyakov entered a forbidden zone.

He labeled himself as a thrill seeker who went to Afghanistan to meet the Taliban before interrogation. Police found evidence that Polyakov made several planned unauthorized entries to explore these regions.

• In October 2024, hotel staff prevented Polyakov from reaching his target by interrupting his initial inflatable kayak exploration.
• In January 2025, he pursued buying an outboard motor and secretly filmed the protected Jarawa tribe.
• In March 2025, he came to the area with his boat motor and boat prepared. He determined his crossing route based on ocean conditions and tidal predictions.

The official police report shows Polyakov departed from Kurma Dera Beach at 1 am on March 29 and traveled to the Sentinelese area with coconuts and Diet Coke cans prepared as gifts. To assess the location, he used binoculars before putting items down and taking sand samples with his camera and video recorder.

He spent an entire hour trying to get the tribe’s notice by blowing a whistle before returning to Kurma Dera Beach by 7 pm that day.

The event generated strong doubts about safeguarding the Sentinelese tribe since they guard their secluded lifestyle through powerful defense actions. In 2018, John Allen Chau faced death from tribal attackers while seeking contact with them during his missionary work. The authorities alerted US embassy officials and the Ministry of External Affairs before establishing stronger protection around the Sentinelese tribe’s area.