Influencer arrested after giving the infamous North Sentinel Island tribe a can of Diet Coke

American influencer and YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov has been arrested after allegedly visiting the infamous North Sentinel Island and giving the isolated tribe a can of Diet Coke and a coconut.

Back in March, Mykhailo set out on a sea voyage to the Indian Ocean where North Sentinel Island, a protected space, is located. All visitors are banned from getting within 3 miles of the island, and yet, Mykhailo used a GPS to find the home of the Sentinelese people.

According to NBC, he surveyed the coast using binoculars for a few hours before landing on shore and blowing a whistle to attract the tribe. Thankfully, they did not appear. Rather than just leave, the YouTuber left presents for the islanders, a can of Diet Coke and a coconut, before taking some samples from the beach and returning to the mainland. Upon arrival, he was picked up by police after his little trip was brought to their attention by a local fisherman.

Credit: Indian Coastguard

“He planned meticulously over several days to visit the island and make a contact with the Sentinel tribe,” Senior Police Officer Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal said, adding that he’d tried to make two other attempts at getting to the island in January and October of 2024.

Last week, a local court sent Mykhailo to 14 days of judicial custody, but he’s expected to appear in court again on April 17 where he could face five years in prison and a hefty fine. The US embassy is aware of the developing situation.

“The Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.

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“We are aware of reports of the detention of a U.S. citizen in India. We take our commitment to assist U.S. citizens abroad seriously and are monitoring the situation.”

Why was the influencer going to North Sentinel Island so dangerous?

Mykhailo Polyakov’s actions have been widely condemned by officials and experts on Sentinelese people, in part due to the risk of him transmitting diseases to them.

“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,” Caroline Pearce, director of Survival International, 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.”

There was also the danger to Mykhailo himself as the Sentinelese people are not known to be forgiving to tresspassers. On TikTok, you often see North Sentinel Island alongside AI-generated voiceovers about the mysterious tribe and one specific incident from 2018.

“The Sentinelese have made their wish to avoid outsiders incredibly clear over the years – I’m sure many remember the 2018 incident in which an American missionary, John Allen Chau, was killed by them after landing on their island to try to convert them to Christianity,” Caroline added.

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