An American tourist has been arrested after visiting an off-limits island that’s home to a dangerous tribe who killed another U.S. citizen in 2018. Ukrainian-American Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, was snared by cops upon returning from North Sentinel Island, one of the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean. He failed to find its indigenous people—who shot and killed 26-year-old missionary John Chau almost six and a half years ago—but he left a can of Coke and a coconut on the shore. While Chau was hit with an arrow while wading towards the island, Viktorovych achieved the rare feat of actually stepping foot on it—and, luckily for him, did not encounter the local Sentinelese people. Pronob Sircar, a Tribal Welfare Officer, lodged a complaint with police after Viktorovych was spotted by fishermen upon return from his March 29 visit. He told British tabloid The Sun: “He explained that he is crazy and likes adventures. I think he was inspired by John Chau. Sentinelese are a very isolated and mysterious tribe and that has encouraged him to go there and capture them.” Viktorovych sailed across a 25-mile strait in a dinghy fitted with a motor at a local workshop. His trip was meticulously planned, authorities said.
