Indian Police Arrest YouTuber Who Left Diet Coke For Reclusive Tribe | rssama.com

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian constabulary person arrested a 24-year-old American Youtuber who visited an off-limits land successful nan Indian ocean and near an offering of a Diet Coke tin and a coconut successful an effort to make interaction pinch an isolated people known for attacking intruders.

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, from Scottsdale, Arizona, was arrested connected March 31, 2 days aft he group ft connected nan restricted territory of North Sentinel Island — portion of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands — successful a bid to meet group from nan reclusive Sentinelese tribe, constabulary said.

A section tribunal past week sent Polyakov to a 14-day judicial custody and he is group to look again successful nan tribunal connected April 17. The charges transportation a imaginable condemnation of up to 5 years successful situation and a fine. Indian authorities said they had informed nan U.S. Embassy astir nan case.

Visitors are banned from walking wrong 3 miles (5 kilometres) of nan island, whose organization has been isolated from nan remainder of nan world for thousands of years. The inhabitants usage spears and bows and arrows to hunt nan animals that roam nan small, heavy forested island. Deeply suspicious of outsiders, they onslaught anyone who lands onto their beaches.

In 2018, an American missionary who landed illegally connected nan formation was killed by North Sentinel islanders who apparently changeable him pinch arrows and past buried his assemblage connected nan beach. In 2006, nan Sentinelese had killed 2 fishermen who had accidentally landed connected nan shore.

Indian officials person constricted contacts to uncommon “gift-giving” encounters, pinch mini teams of officials and scientists leaving coconuts and bananas for nan islanders. Indian ships besides show nan waters astir nan island, trying to guarantee outsiders do not spell adjacent nan Sentinelese, who person many times made clear they want to beryllium near alone.

Police said Polyakov was guided by GPS navigation during his travel and surveyed nan land pinch binoculars earlier landing. He stayed connected nan formation for astir an hour, blowing a whistle to pull nan attraction but sewage nary consequence from nan islanders.

Clouds bent complete nan North Sentinel Island, successful India's southeastern Andaman and Nicobar Islands, connected Nov. 14, 2005. (AP Photo/Gautam Singh, File)

via Associated Press

He later near a tin of Diet Coke and a coconut arsenic an offering, made a video connected his camera, and collected immoderate soil samples earlier returning to his boat.

On his return he was spotted by section fishermen, who informed nan authorities and Polyakov was arrested successful Port Blair, nan superior of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an archipelago astir 750 miles (1,207 kilometres) eastbound of India’s mainland. A lawsuit was registered against him for usurpation of Indian laws that prohibit immoderate outsider to interact pinch nan islanders.

Police said Polyakov had conducted elaborate investigation connected oversea conditions, tides and accessibility to nan land earlier starting his journey.

“He planned meticulously complete respective days to sojourn nan land and make a interaction pinch nan Sentinel tribe,” Senior Police Officer Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal said.

In a statement, constabulary said Polyakov’s “actions posed a superior threat to nan information and well-being of nan Sentinelese people, whose interaction pinch outsiders is strictly prohibited by nan rule to protect their indigenous measurement of life.”

An first investigation revealed Polyakov had made 2 erstwhile attempts, successful October past twelvemonth and January, to sojourn nan islands, including successful an inflatable kayak.

Police said Polyakov was drawn to nan land owed to his passion for escapade and utmost challenges, and was fascinated by nan mystique of nan Sentinelese people.

Survival International, a group that protects nan authorities of Indigenous peoples, said Polyakov’s attempted interaction pinch nan tribes of North Sentinel was “reckless and idiotic.”

“This person’s actions not only endangered his ain life, they put nan lives of nan full Sentinelese people astatine risk,” nan group’s head Caroline Pearce said successful a statement.