US national arrested for entering prohibited tribal reserve area in Andaman: Police

Port Blair: A US national has been arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Andaman and Nicobar Police for allegedly entering a prohibited tribal reserve area, near Tarmugli Island in South Andaman, a senior police officer said on Wednesday.

The CID arrested the US national on March 31, the officer said.

The US national has been identified as Mykhailo Viktorvych Polyakov (24) and he arrived in Port Blair on March 27, police said.

Speaking to PTI, Andaman and Nicobar Police DGP HS Dhaliwal said, "He is a US national and his father are from Ukraine. He was spotted by the local people near Khuramadera beach on March 29 on an inflatable single-seater boat at around 4 am.

"We are getting more details about him and his intention to visit the reserved tribal area. We are also trying to find where else he has visited during his stay in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. We are questioning the hotel staff also where he was staying in Port Blair." A probe revealed that this is not the first time that Polyakov has visited Andaman as he had visited the archipelago twice in 2024.

"An FIR was registered against him under Foreigners Act, 1946, along with sections of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Amendment Regulation, 2012," a CID officer said.

He is presently in police custody till April 4, the CID officer said.