India Extends Detention of American YouTuber Mikhailo Viktorovich Polyakov Arrested Since March
India has extended the detention of 24-year-old American YouTuber Mikhailo Viktorovich Polyakov, who was arrested after visiting the forbidden North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean in an attempt to contact the isolated Sentinalese tribe.
According to the police, Mikhailo Viktorovich Polyakov will appear before a local court in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, on April 29.
Polyakov, originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, was arrested on March 31, two days after arriving on the prohibited North Sentinel Island, where he attempted to meet members of the isolated Sentinalese tribe.
A senior police officer, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the ongoing case, stated, “This journey could be described as an adventure, but the reality is that Indian laws were violated. Meeting the Sentinalese people could endanger the tribe’s survival.”
Polyakov is suspected of violating Indian laws, which could lead to a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine.
Visitors are prohibited from approaching within 5 kilometers of North Sentinel Island, where its inhabitants have lived in complete isolation from the outside world for thousands of years.
