Tourist arrested after leaving ‘deadly’ Coke can for remote tribe was ‘inspired’ by missionary they speared to death
THIS is the first picture of an idiotic tourist who was arrested after leaving a can of Coke as a “peace offering” for one of the world’s most isolated tribes.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, risked his life by journeying to North Sentinel Island – where unwanted visitors are often killed.
The Sun obtained the picture of Polyakov as cops told us he faced up to eight years in jail.
The picture is the most recent photo of the man since his shocking arrest.
Local officials who care for the tribe blasted Polyakov as “crazy” and said he was inspired by John Chau.
Chau was a US missionary who was killed by the Sentinelese when he arrived on the island.
Pronob Sircar, the Tribal Welfare Officer, who lodged a complaint with police told The Sun: “I came to know about him and saw the video that he captured. I identified the place.
“Where he stayed, it is close to my office in the Collinpur area so I came to know about him and then contacted the local police who also interrogated him.”
He added: “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.”
Senior police officer Kumar Abhishek said: “He went with a can of Coke and coconut and left these things.
“At most he spent 10-15 minutes there. He stepped on the sand and returned after waiting.
“This was his third visit, He first came in October last year and then again in January.
“North Sentinel island is completely prohibited for both Indian nationals and foreigners.
“He said he wanted to experience adventure and thrill. He has shot some videos but the videos are being examined. These are pictures and videos of the island, not the people.”
Cops say he sailed to the island on Saturday on 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 on his GoPro before leaving on his boat.
What happened to the last person to visit the island?
- John Allen Chau was the last person to visit North Sentinel Island in 2018.
- Chau was killed by the Sentinelese tribe on his visit.
- Chau was an American missionary who felt it was his “calling” to preach to the tribe.
- Chau was illegally ferried to the island by fishermen.
- While a murder case was registered, the killers couldn’t be prosecuted as contact with the island is forbidden.
- Efforts to recover his body were abandoned over fears of further antagonising the tribe.
- A journal belonging him was found by police after his death where he wrote about his desire to spread God’s word.
Polyakov was later arrested on his return to the mainland after local fisherman alerted cops.
The police said his trip was meticulously planned and suggested he had studied sea conditions, tides and access points before setting sail.
And it seems he had been planning the exploit for a while, as he seemingly teased the trip on social media five months ago.
He uploaded a cartoon image of a Tintin style adventurer with a small brown dog, sailing a small boat towards a desert island with the caption: “A little Columbus day teaser for the fans”.
The police added 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.
Polyakov regularly posts travel videos on his YouTube channel to his 400 subscribers.
After visiting Afghanistan last year, he posted a series of six videos titled “Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan Through American Eyes”.
The footage recorded his three week stay as he filmed himself walking through the streets, meeting with local people and interacting with the Taliban.
In some of the most shocking footage the man can be seen posing with the Taliban before being handed a machine gun and draping an ammunition belt round his neck.
He can then be heard saying “yes”, as he holds up the weapon.
Polyakov posted the videos with the caption: “In this series, I take a three-week road trip across what has become the unrecognized Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan following the chaotic US withdrawal in 2021 and the rapid takeover of the country by the Taliban.”
“Recognized as a terrorist group by many countries, the Taliban maintain a strict theocratic regime in which music, dancing, women’s education, being clean shaven, using birth control, and even the depiction of faces are forbidden.
“Join me as I navigate one of the most dangerous and unquestionably the most conservative country in the world.”
Polyakov also filmed himself walking through an abandoned US military based as he explored a sand bugged bunker with bullet holes and shrapnel damage.
Another bombshell moment was clip he uploaded entitled “Road Rage Afghan Edition” in which he said a “traffic dispute ends in gunfire”.
The last visitor to the island was John Allen Chau, a Christian missionary.
The 26-year-old was killed in a hail of arrows after venturing onto the remote island unannounced.
Chau visited the isle after reportedly feeling called by God to share his beliefs with the tribe.
Efforts to recover John’s body were abandoned over fears of further antagonising the remote Sentinelese.
Two fishermen who strayed on to the island in 2006 were also killed – and one week after their deaths, their bodies were hooked on bamboo stakes facing out to sea.
Contacting isolated tribes can be extremely dangerous due to their lack of immunity to common diseases in the outside world.
And it could even risk leading to devastating epidemics by transmitting a new kind of bug from them to the rest of the planet.
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.
“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.”
North Sentinel Island has been off limits since 1996, and it is illegal to come within three miles of it.
Anthropologists estimate that there could be anywhere between 50 to 100 people who live there.
Not much is known about the people who live on the island, other than their violence and unwillingness to communicate with outsiders.
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.