Rinson Jose, a 37-year-old entrepreneur originally from Wayanad, Kerala, has recently been linked to the tragic pager explosions in Lebanon that resulted in the deaths of at least 12 individuals, including civilians.
The devices detonated amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Lebanon over Palestine and are reportedly linked to Hezbollah fighters.
Jose, now a Norwegian citizen, is the owner of Norta Global Ltd., a company registered in Bulgaria that is suspected of facilitating the sale of these pagers.
The situation has drawn significant attention from international security agencies, including Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (DANS), which is investigating the company’s involvement.
Despite the serious allegations, preliminary investigations have not found any evidence linking Norta Global to illegal transactions or violations of terrorism financing laws. While approximately 1.6 million euros has been associated with Norta Global, no actual shipments of pagers were recorded as having passed through Bulgaria.
This has led to speculation that Norta Global may operate as a shell company for Rinson’s IT consulting firm, NortaLink, based in Norway, report Onmanorama.
Rinson’s family in Wayanad has expressed concerns over his alleged involvement. Local police have increased security around their home amid the investigation and have conducted background checks on the family, reported TOI.
Rinson’s uncle has suggested that he may have been misled in his business dealings. Meanwhile, Rinson is reported to be traveling in the US, and Norwegian authorities are also looking into his case as part of their inquiries into his potential connections to the events in Lebanon.
