logo
US tourist arrested after allegedly attempting to contact ‘world's most isolated' tribe

US tourist arrested after allegedly attempting to contact ‘world's most isolated' tribe

CNN04-04-2025

An American tourist has been arrested after allegedly traveling to a remote island in the Bay of Bengal and attempting to contact one of the world's most isolated tribes.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, made the illegal voyage to North Sentinel Island, home to the enigmatic Sentinelese tribe, on March 29, Indian police told CNN.
North Sentinel Island is a land mass roughly the size of Manhattan in the Adaman and Nicobar archipelago, about 750 miles from the Indian mainland. Visiting the island is prohibited by Indian law to maintain the Sentinelese way of life and protect them from modern illnesses, from which they lack immunity.
While Polyakov successfully reached the island, he does not appear to have made contact with the Sentinelese tribe, Jitendra Kumar Meena, head of the Adaman and Nicobar Police's Criminal Investigations Department told CNN. He was spotted by a local fisherman on his way back and arrested two days later, Meena said. Police seized an inflatable boat and motor from Polyakov. He has not yet been charged with any offenses.
A spokesperson for the US State Department said 'we are aware of reports of the detention of a US citizen in India' in a statement to CNN but could not comment further on the case. It is not clear if Polyakov has retained a lawyer.
The Sentinelese have only made contact with the modern world a handful of times and have been known to vigorously reject outsiders. Because the Sentinelese are so reclusive, it is difficult to know how many there are – estimates range from dozens to hundreds.
Previous encounters with the tribe have proved fatal. In 2018, American missionary John Allen Chau was reportedly killed by tribespeople after he arrived on North Sentinel Island, hoping to convert the local people to Christianity.
Polyakov is 'lucky he did not make contact otherwise he would have met the same fate,' Meena said.
Caroline Pearce, Director of Survival International, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of isolated tribal groups, called Polyakov's alleged actions 'reckless and idiotic.'
'This person's actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,' Pearce said in a statement.
'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,' she added.
Polyakov planned his trip well in advance, visiting the Adaman islands twice before traveling to North Sentinel on his third visit, allegedly setting off from a beach about 25 miles away in South Adaman, Meena said.
'As per what he has revealed in the investigation so far, he said he is keen on adventures. He said he had left some soft drink bottles there for the tribe but we haven't found anything so far,' Meena said. Police have seized Polyakov's phone and GoPro, as well as a bottle of sand he allegedly collected from the island.
A special investigation team is carrying out a search of the island from afar, on boats using binoculars, despite choppy waters the last couple of days, Meena said.
There are more than 100 uncontacted tribes around the world, mainly in the Amazon rainforest, but the Sentinelese are 'the most isolated Indigenous people in the world,' according to Survival International. Most of what is known about them comes from boats moored more than an arrow's distance from the shore and from rare past encounters with authorities.
The Sentinelese hunt in the rainforest and fish in the coastal waters using spears, bows and arrows, as well as homemade narrow outrigger canoes, according to Survival International. They are thought to live in three groups in both large communal huts and more informal shelters on the beach.
First contact with the Sentinelese tribe was made by the British in the late 1800s, when, despite their attempts to hide, six individuals from the tribe were captured and taken to the main island of the Andaman Island archipelago.
An Indian law from 1956 bans outsiders from traveling to North Sentinel and other islands in the archipelago home to Indigenous groups.
Except for a brief, friendly interaction in the early 1990s, the Sentinelese have fiercely resisted contact with outsiders, even after disaster.
In 2004, following the Asian tsunami that devastated the Andaman chain, a member of the tribe was photographed on a beach on the island, firing arrows at a helicopter sent to check on their welfare.
Two years later, members of the tribe killed two poachers who had been illegally fishing in the waters surrounding North Sentinel Island after their boat drifted ashore, according to Survival International.
Pearce, of Survival International, said India – which has built up military infrastructure on the Adaman and Nicobar Islands in recent years in case of a confrontation with China – has a 'legal responsibility' to protect the Sentinelese people from missionaries, social media influencers, illegal fishers or anyone else.
There have been other encounters with uncontacted tribes in recent years.
In February, a young man from an isolated Indigenous tribe in Brazil made brief contact with the outside world before returning to the Amazon rainforest.
In 2024, Survival International published rare images of the uncontacted Mashco Piro tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, reporting that the tribe was trying to evade loggers.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Non-citizen LA rioters could be deported under new House bill
Non-citizen LA rioters could be deported under new House bill

Fox News

time18 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Non-citizen LA rioters could be deported under new House bill

FIRST ON FOX: Some House Republicans are now considering whether non-citizens who are found to have participated in violent anti-law enforcement riots have a right to stay in the United States. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, is leading a bill that would make non-U.S. citizens convicted of "actual or attempted assault, battery, or use of force" against any law enforcement officer eligible for deportation. Any immigrants deported under the legislation, if enacted, would be permanently barred from the United States. "The thing about breaking the law is, there's effectively a waiving of your constitutional rights that's sort of inherent in our system, right? When you go to prison, you're losing your liberty," Crenshaw told Fox News Digital in an interview Tuesday. "So this is a very normal thing, and in the case of say, people who are here legally, but then committing acts of violence – in this case, we're being really specific, during a national emergency, committing assaults against police officers, and destruction of property – that should have an effect and be on the list of things that allows for revocation of your status." Early bill text obtained by Fox News Digital shows the bill would apply to legal permanent residents, people here illegally, and beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. It would go into effect when presidents, governors or local leaders make emergency or major disaster declarations. It comes amid continued tensions in Los Angeles, where protests against Immigrations and Customs Enforcement operations turned violent across the city this weekend. Rioters were seen burning American flags and cars stood on the street in flames, while police used pepper spray and rubber bullets on crowds outside federal buildings. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard despite the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and ordered 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles as well. Those Marines will be training in Seal Beach for a few more days before deployment, a U.S. defense official told Fox News. Democrats have accused the Trump administration of escalating violence in Los Angeles, while Republicans argue that federal action is necessary based on the state's handling of the situation. Crenshaw said his legislation would help the administration restore order during such times. "What it would do is, it would give the administration the option to say, yeah we've rounded all these people up, half of them are U.S. citizens, okay, you're going to jail for rioting. Maybe another quarter are illegals, well that's easy you can deport them," he said. "But what about the other quarter? You know, that might be…a number of legal aliens here rioting against America for enforcing our immigration laws. In our minds, you've violated that sort of social contract with the United States at that point." Crenshaw said he spoke with the White House and that officials there were "excited" about the bill. The White House said it would not get in front of the president on legislative matters when reached for comment by Fox News Digital. Currently, legal U.S. residents, including green card holders, can have their status revoked by an immigration judge if they are found guilty of certain crimes or are found to have fraudulently misrepresented themselves in their application for residence. Crimes that would make legal U.S. visa holders and green card holders eligible for deportation currently include murder, drug trafficking and rape.

If you fly on a US airline, your personal information could be sold to CBP
If you fly on a US airline, your personal information could be sold to CBP

USA Today

time33 minutes ago

  • USA Today

If you fly on a US airline, your personal information could be sold to CBP

If you fly on a US airline, your personal information could be sold to CBP Show Caption Hide Caption Safeguard your data privacy while flying and sharing on social media These important data privacy tips can protect you when flying and sharing content on social media. DHS bought access to airline passenger data, including itineraries and financial details, from Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), Wired reported. The data was reportedly used to identify "persons of interest" and shared with other law enforcement agencies. ARC's board includes representatives from major U.S. airlines. If you fly domestically on a major U.S. airline, your personal data could wind up in the hands of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Wired first reported on a deal that DHS and its Customs and Border Protection (CBP) division has with Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), a data firm that focuses on airline tickets and passenger data. According to Wired's reporting, ARC sold access to airline customer records, including their names, full itineraries and financial details. ARC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. The documents obtained by Wired show that CBP said it was using the data "to support federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify persons of interest's US domestic air travel ticketing information." ARC's board of directors includes representatives from American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and others. According to the documents, ARC and the government agreed that the agencies would not disclose where they received the data ARC was providing. The data provided is based on third-party airline ticket sales, not those purchased directly through the carrier. Still, the documents show it is updated daily and includes more than 1 billion itineraries over 39 months. 'CBP is committed to protecting individuals' privacy during the execution of its mission to protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and enhance the nation's economic prosperity. CBP follows a robust privacy policy as we protect the homeland through the air, land and maritime environments against illegal entry, illicit activity or other threats to national sovereignty and economic security,' a CBP spokesperson told Wired in a statement. CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store