Arrested over a can of Coke: this U.S. YouTuber tries to contact dangerous tribe and ends up in jail

The Sentinelese people of North Sentinel Island don’t want your coconut, your camera, or your Diet Coke. Unfortunately, no one told Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, or if they did, he chose not to listen.

Why was YouTuber arrested on Indian island?

The 24-year-old YouTuber from Scottsdale, Arizona, was arrested by Indian police on March 31 after illegally setting foot on the forbidden island in the Bay of Bengal. The area is off-limits to all, with India enforcing a three-mile exclusion zone to protect the reclusive Sentinelese tribe – people who have lived in isolation for thousands of years and are known to violently repel intruders.

Why is North Sentinel Island so heavily restricted?

The reason it is kept isolated is because contact with the outside world isn’t just unwelcome, it could be deadly. Not just for the visitor, but for the tribe. The Sentinelese have no known immunity to common diseases, and in 2006 and again in 2018, they made clear how seriously they take outsiders violating their shores. Two fishermen were killed after their boat drifted too close. Later, an American missionary who tried to approach the tribe was shot with arrows and buried on the beach.

So when Polyakov waded ashore on March 29 armed with a GoPro, a whistle, a coconut, and a can of Diet Coke, it wasn’t just a stunt. It was a potential biohazard – and a criminal offense under Indian law, which forbids any interaction with the tribe.

Why did Polyakov go to Indian island?

According to Indian police, Polyakov had done his homework. He studied tides, scouted the island using binoculars, and used GPS to plan his trip. He spent about an hour on the beach, blowing a whistle to get attention. No one came. He filmed the moment anyway, left the Diet Coke and the coconut as an offering, scooped up some sand, and got back in his boat.

That’s when local fishermen spotted him and reported him to the authorities.

Police say this wasn’t Polyakov’s first attempt. He had tried to approach the island twice before, in October and January, once in an inflatable kayak. This time, he made it - just long enough to earn a 14-day stint in judicial custody and the possibility of up to five years in prison.

Polyakov, a University of Arizona graduate, is no stranger to high-risk travel. His YouTube channel features a series titled Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan Through American Eyes, in which he documents his three-week solo trip through the country. In the videos, he’s seen handling weapons, attending local events, and sharing meals with Afghans – content clearly aimed at thrill-seekers and the YouTube algorithm alike.

As of now, Indian authorities have notified the U.S. Embassy and are holding Polyakov in Port Blair, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He’s set to appear in court again on April 17.

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