An American man, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, has been arrested for entering the prohibited areas in India's Andaman where the fiercely secretive Sentinelese tribes live. Sentinelese are protective about their territory and isolation and one of the most isolated tribes in the world. But did you know that an Indian woman had made friendly contact with them many years ago?

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But first, who is Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov? What did he do? Why was he arrested? 

According to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Andaman and Nicobar Police, Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov was arrested for entering the North Sentinel Island, a prohibited tribal reserve area.

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The 24-year-old made several visits to the islands before being arrested on March 31. Police seized a GoPro camera from him, and footage from it confirmed that he had gone to the restricted areas in North Sentinel Island.

Indian news agency PTI reported that Polyakov had told police he was a "thrill seeker" whose earlier travels included a trip to Afghanistan to meet Taliban members.

Who are the Sentinelese tribes?

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The Sentinelese are among the world's most isolated tribes. Living in North Sentinel Island in the Andaman, they are fiercely protective about their territory and are known to attack strangers using bows and arrows. 

The administration of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is strict about protecting the Sentinelese. 

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In 2018, another man, John Allen Chau, was killed by the tribe. The American missionary was attempting to make contact with the tribe. At the time, a story about the first woman who made friendly contact with the Sentinalese came back to focus.

Who is the first woman who made contact with Sentinalese tribes? Madhumala Chattopadhyay's work with the tribes 

Indian anthropologist Madhumala Chattopadhyay is known to be the first, and possibly the only, woman who had made direct, friendly contact with the tribes of Sentenel island.

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Chattopadhyay, along with a team from India, made the friendly contact with the tribes, which was also captured on video. Chattopadhyay worked on and documented the lives of Aong (Jarawa) tribe Onge tribe in Andaman.

Chattopadhyay went to the island with a team of anthropologists and made contact with the tribespeople on January 4, 1991.  She and her colleagues are believed to have been the first outsiders to make peaceful contact with the otherwise hostile Sentinelese tribe.

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Chattopadhyay's team was led by SA Awaradi, who was the director of India's Tribal Welfare Department at the time.
They offered the gift of coconuts to the tribespeople. They were initially met with hostility, but the tribes later eased into their presence.

In subsequent trips, Chattopadhyay was seen interactng with the tribeswomen and was even photographed holding a child from the tribe.



"They are not uncivilised. They understand nature better than us. Don't foreget, they knew a tsunami was coming and moved to higher grounds," she said in a later interview.

Now, back to the Polykov arrest story.

How did Polykov get caught in Andaman?

Polyakov visited India thrice in the past five months, according to Andaman police. He first arrived in India on October 18 last year, tried to do a recce of North Sentinel Island using an inflatable kayak, but hotel staff stopped him, said the PTI report.

"He visited the Baratang Islands, illegally filmed the Jarawa tribe, and explored various areas in Port Blair before departing on January 27," the PTI report quoted an official as saying.

On his third visit on March 26, he went to Port Blair with an inflatable boat. "He assembled the motor at a local workshop, purchased fuel, and checked into a resort on March 27. He conducted research on sea conditions, tides, and accessibility from Kurma Dera Beach, planning his journey meticulously," the first information report said.

Like Chattopadhyay's team did, Polykov went to the island with coconut. Interestingly, he also took some Diet Coke cans as offerings to the tribes. He blew a whistle to capture the attention of the tribes but to no avail. As he could not find any tribespeople, Polykov left the 'gifts' on the shore and recorded a video, as per police.

(With inputs from agencies)