An American citizen has been arrested after making numerous attempts to contact the Sentinelese people. The Sentinelese are one of the isolated indigenous tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, about 800 miles off the coast of Myanmar. It is illegal under Indian law to come within three nautical miles of the island.
According to the Times of India, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov was arrested after his fourth trip to the island over several months. Although he never contacted any tribe members, Polyakov left a coconut and cans of Diet Coke as an offering to them. After his arrest, he told police he was a "thrill-seeker." A YouTube channel linked to him includes videos of visits to Taliban-occupied Afghanistan.
Despite often being referred to as "uncontacted," the Sentinelese have had peaceful contact with outsiders throughout history, including two expeditions in the 90s and a relief effort after the 2004 tsunami. Since then, however, two fishermen illegally harvesting crabs and a missionary have been killed on the island.
Previously:
• Here are five fascinating places you are not allowed to visit
• Rare footage of the 'uncontacted' tribe that killed the missionary who illegally went to their island to preach
• Full story of the missionary killed when trying to convert an 'uncontacted' tribe
