A US tourist has been arrested after giving a can of Coke to the world’s most isolated tribe on North Sentinel Island.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, risked his life journeying to the forbidden island where unwanted visitors are often killed.
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Polyakov, 24, sailed to the island to on Saturday, according to Indian police.
The man set off on the risky expedition from Kurma Dera beach, on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an Indian territory in the Bay of Bengal.
From there he boarded his makeshift craft – an inflatable boat with a motor and GPS.
Upon arriving at the island, Polyakov scanned the area from his boat using binoculars.
He then blew a whistle repeatedly for about an hour in a crazed attempt to attract attention but no one responded.
Then, in a bizarre turn of events, Polyakov briefly stepped onto the island and left a can of Coke and a coconut as offerings.
He also collected sand samples and recorded a video before heading back to shore.
Polyakov was later arrested on his return to land after local fisherman alerted the cops.
The police said that Polyakov had previously attempted illegal interactions with other indigenous tribes in the area.
It is thought that he travelled to Baratang island in January and illegally filmed members of the Jarawa tribe.
Polyakov now has a case against him for breach of protection of aboriginal tribes.
The director of indigenous rights group Survival International, Caroline Pearce, said the American’s attempt to make contact with the tribe was “deeply disturbing”.
Pearce said: “It beggars belief that someone could be that reckless and idiotic.
“This person’s actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk.”
North Sentinel Island has been off limits since 1996, and it is illegal to be within three miles of the island.
Anthropologists estimate that there could be anywhere between 50 to 100 people who live there.
Known only for their violence and unwillingness to communicate with outsiders, not much is known about the people who live on the island.
According to multiple reports, the tribe carries bows and arrows, as well as spears and knives.
They do not welcome unwanted visitors and will kill them if they get too close.
Only a small group of people have ever been on the island and lived to tell the tale.
The last visitor to the island was John Allen Chau, a Christian missionary.
The twenty six-year-old was killed in a hail of arrows after venturing onto the remote island unannounced.
Efforts to recover John’s body were abandoned over fears of further antagonising the remote Sentinelese.
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