American’s death ‘a case of misdirected adventure’
Tribesmen on restricted island known for killing with arrows
NEW DELHI — The first time American John Allen Chau made it to the remote North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean, he came bearing gifts that included a football and fish.
He interacted with some of the tribesmen — who survive by hunting, fishing and collecting wild plants and are known for attacking anyone who comes near with bows and arrows and spears — until they became angry and shot an arrow at him.
It struck a book Chau was carrying, and the 26-year-old adventurer and Christian missionary swam back to a boat of fishermen waiting at a safe distance.
That night, he wrote about his adventures and left his notes with the fishermen. He returned to the island the next day, Nov. 16.
What happened then isn’t known, but on the morning of the following day, the fishermen watched from the boat as the tribesmen dragged Chau’s body along the beach.
Dependera Pathak, director-general of police on India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said Wednesday that the seven fishermen have been arrested for helping the American reach North Sentinel Island. Visits to the island are restricted by the Indian government, and officials were working with anthropologists to recover the body.
“It was a case of misdirected adventure,” Pathak said.
Chau was apparently shot and killed with arrows, but the cause of death can’t be confirmed until his body is recovered, Pathak said.
Authorities say Chau arrived in the area on Oct. 16 and stayed in a hotel while preparing to travel to the island. He had visited the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2015 and 2016. North Sentinel is part of the Andaman Islands and sits at the intersection of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.
With help from a friend, Chau hired the seven fishermen for $325 to take him there on a boat, towing the kayak Chau used to reach the island the first time, Pathak said.
After the fishermen realized Chau had been killed, they left for Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Police charged the fishermen with endangering the life of the American by taking him to a prohibited area.