An American man was killed by a protected tribe in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the police said today. Seven fishermen who took 27-year-old John Allen Chau to North Sentinel Island, where the indigenous Sentinelese people live, have been arrested, the police said.Â
As soon as he set foot on the island, Chau found himself facing a flurry of arrows, official sources told AFP.
Police officer Vijay Singh said those arrested are fishermen who facilitated the American’s visit to the Island.
Singh said the man was killed on Saturday. He declined to give any other details, saying he was investigating the case, AP reported.
Chau had made several trips to the Andaman islands recently before finally managing to make it to the remote stretch by offering money to local fishermen.
“He tried to reach the Sentinel island on November 14 but could not make it. Two days later he went well prepared. He left the dingy midway and took a canoe all by himself to the island,” a source told news agency AFP. “He was attacked by arrows but he continued walking. The fishermen saw the tribals tying a rope around his neck and dragging his body. They were scared and fled but returned next morning to find his body on the sea shore,” the source said.Â
The Sentinelese, whose population in 2011 was estimated at 40, are known to resist contact with the outside world. Activists say the tribes are at threat from outsiders, who often bribe locals to access them.
