Overview

• Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, a 24-year-old American, was arrested on March 31 after illegally landing on North Sentinel Island, a restricted area in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Polyakov meticulously planned his expedition, using GPS navigation and leaving offerings of a coconut and a can of Coca-Cola on the island's shore before returning to his boat.
• The Sentinelese, one of the world's most isolated tribes, are protected under Indian law due to their vulnerability to diseases and their rejection of outside contact.
• Authorities revealed this was not Polyakov's first attempt, as he had previously tried to reach the island and had illegally filmed the Jarawa tribe during earlier visits.
• The incident has reignited debates about the adequacy of measures to protect uncontacted tribes and the potential consequences of external interference.