Hezbollah pager blasts: International warrant for Kerala-born businessman

Rinson Jose, a Kerala-born Norwegian businessman, whose name had cropped up in the Hezbollah exploding-pagers case has gone missing. Norway has issued an international warrant for Jose, whose Bulgaria-based firm was probed for being part of the supply chain that provided pagers to Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah. Those pagers were detonated by Israel, resulting in over 30 deaths and injuries to thousands across Lebanon.

A Bulgarian company, Norta Global Ltd, was behind the pager’s deal, reported Telex, a Hungarian media outlet, earlier in September. The Bulgaria-based firm was founded by 39-year-old Rinson Jose in 2022, reported The Cradle. Jose, it said, was a Norwegian citizen.

Jose and his company were cleared of any association with the exploding pagers by Bulgaria.

Norway, now, is looking for Jose, who disappeared while on a work trip to the US last week, reports Reuters.

Norwegian police have issued an international search request for Rinson Jose, a Norwegian-Indian man linked to the sale of pagers, the news agency says.

“On September 25, the Oslo police district received a missing person report in connection with the pager case. A missing persons case has been opened, and we have sent out an international warrant for the person,” Norwegian police told Reuters.

On September 20, India Today Digital reported that a 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 went to Norway as a caretaker and later shifted to some business firms,” his uncle, Thankachan, told Manorama Online. “We don’t know about his job or his business,” he added.

LENS ON RISNON JOSE AND HIS BULGARIAN FIRM

Though the pagers that exploded had the branding of a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo.

Gold Apollo founder and president Hsu Ching-Kuang linked the exploding pagers to a Hungary-based company, BAC Consulting. Hsu said that those pagers were made by the Budapest-based company, which had a three-year licencing agreement with his firm.

However, sources told Hungarian media outlet Telex that BAC Consulting was “simply an intermediary in the transaction”.

“The managing director of BAC Consulting, Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, dealt with a Bulgarian company, Norta Global Ltd, based in Sofia,” reported Telex.

“Although on paper it was BAC Consulting that signed the contract with Gold Apollo, Norta Global was actually the one behind the [pagers] deal,” Telex reported quoting sources.

It is probable that both BAC Consulting and Norta Global are shell companies, as they did not even have an office, and were only registered at their addresses.

THE SEARCH FOR RINSON JOSE IN PAGERS CASE

Last week, Norway’s security police (PST) launched a probe into reports that Rinson Jose-owned company was involved in the Hezbollah pager blasts.

“PST has initiated a preliminary investigation to determine whether there are reasons for starting a (full) investigation on the basis of allegations in the media that a Norwegian-owned company may have been involved in the dissemination of pagers to Hezbollah,” PST lawyer Haris Hrenovica told Reuters.

Earlier in September, an investigation by Bulgaria’s National Security Agency (SANS) gave a clean chit to Jose and his Norta Global. It launched the probe to determine the role of any Bulgarian company in the case of exploding pagers after the Telex report.

The SANS said there was no record that the pagers entered the European Union legally via Bulgaria, adding that the Bulgarian customs had not registered the products.

Jose has been unreachable despite several media outlets trying to get his version of the case. And that has made the matter murkier.

Reuters briefly managed to talk to him, but Jose declined to comment on the pagers, “and hung up when asked about the Bulgarian business”. He did not return repeated calls and text messages, said Reuters.

The mystery is far from being unravelled as the India-born Norwegian citizen, whose Bulgaria-based firm was linked to the Hezbollah pager blasts, has gone missing in the US, and Norway has issued an international arrest warrant for him.