Rinson Jos, Kerala-born Norwegian businessman, Name had surfaced in Hezbollah blast-Peggers case Has gone missing. Norway has issued an international warrant for Jose, who was investigated for being part of the supply chain of a Bulgaria-based firm that provided pagers to the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah. Those pagers were detonated by Israel, resulting in more than 30 deaths and thousands of injuries across Lebanon.
Hungarian media outlet Telex reported in early September that a Bulgarian company, Norta Global Ltd., was behind the pager deal. The Bulgaria-based firm was founded by 39-year-old Rinson Jose in 2022, reports The Cradle. It said that Jos was a citizen of Norway.
Jose and his company were cleared by Bulgaria of any connection with the detonated pagers.
Norway is now searching for Jose, who disappeared during a work trip to the US last week, Reuters reports.
The news agency says Norwegian police have issued an international search request for Rinson Jos, a Norwegian-Indian man linked to the sale of the pager.
Norwegian police told Reuters, “On September 25, the Oslo Police District received a missing person report in connection with the pager case. A missing person case has been opened, and we have sent an international warrant for that person.”
India Today Digital had reported on September 20 The Kerala-born Norwegian businessman’s name had cropped up in the Hezbollah pagers case.
Jose was born in Wayanad and moved to Norway after completing his MBA.
Kerala-based channels met his family and relatives, who confirmed that Jose had moved to Norway after his MBA degree.
“Rinson graduated from Mary Matha College, Mananthavady, completed his MBA, and moved to Norway as a caretaker and later shifted to some business firms,” his uncle Thankachan told Manorama Online. “We don’t know his job or his occupation,” he said.
Lens on Risnon Jos and his Bulgarian firm
Although the pagers that were torn Branding of Taiwanese company Gold Apollo.
Su Ching-kuang, Founder and Chairman of Gold Apollo Exploding pagers linked to Hungary-based company, BAC ConsultingHsu said those pagers were made by a Budapest-based company that had a three-year licensing agreement with his firm.
However, sources told Hungarian media outlet Telex that BAC Consulting was “only an intermediary in the transaction”.
“The managing director of BAC Consulting, Cristiana Barsoni-Arcidiacono, worked with Norta Global Ltd., a Bulgarian company based in Sofia,” Telex reports.
“Although on paper it was BAC Consulting that signed the contract with Gold Apollo, in reality Norta Global was behind it [pagers] The deal,” Telex quoted sources as saying.
It is possible that both BAC Consulting and Norta Global were shell companies, as they did not even have an office, and were only registered at their address.
Search for Rinson Jose in pagers case
Last week, the Norwegian Security Police (PST) launched an investigation into reports that the company owned by Rinson Joos was involved in the Hezbollah pager blasts.
Harris, the PST’s lawyer, said, “The PST has launched a preliminary investigation to determine whether there are grounds to launch a (full) investigation based on allegations in the media that the Norwegian-owned company was involved in the dissemination of the pager to Hezbollah.” Can.” Hrenovica told Reuters.
Earlier in September, an investigation by Bulgaria’s National Security Agency (SANS) had given a clean chit to Jose and his Norta Global. Following the telex report it launched an investigation to determine the role of a Bulgarian company in the Pager explosion.
SANS said there was no record that the pagers entered the EU legally through Bulgaria, adding that Bulgarian customs had not registered the products.
Jose could not be contacted despite several media outlets trying to get his side of the matter. And this has made the matter even more suspicious.
Reuters managed to speak to him briefly, but Jose declined to comment on the pagers, “and hung up the phone when asked about Bulgarian business”. He did not respond to repeated calls and text messages, Reuters said.
The mystery is yet to be solved as an India-born Norwegian national, whose Bulgaria-based company was linked to the Hezbollah pager blasts, has gone missing in the US and Norway has issued an international arrest warrant for him.