KOZHIKODE: On Friday, the people of Kerala woke up to shocking news connecting a Malayali from Mananthavady, Wayanad, to the devastating pager explosion spree in Lebanon. Authorities are investigating the involvement of Rinson Jose, a 39-year-old entrepreneur and a Norwegian citizen, in the incident. Jose, originally from Mananthavady and currently living in Oslo, is the owner of Norta Global Limited, a Bulgarian shell company allegedly involved in supplying pagers to Hezbollah.
The explosions in Lebanon occurred on Tuesday, targeting Hezbollah, and preliminary investigations suggest that the pagers were provided by Norta Global Limited, a Sofia-based company linked to Jose. International media reported that Jose’s company received components from Taiwan, which were then used to manufacture the devices. It is reported that he might have fled to the US or the UK, where his younger brother resides, as he and his wife have not been seen since the day of the explosions.
Jose’s family in Mananthavady expressed shock at the allegations. His uncle, Thankachan, denied any suspicion of illegal activity, stating that Rinson had been in touch with the family just a week ago and had always been a well-behaved individual.
According to Thankachan, Rinson last visited his hometown in 2022. Rinson moved to Norway in 2012 and holds Norwegian citizenship. He is involved in several ventures, including an IT consulting firm called NortaLink, and works as the Customer Journey and CRM lead for DN Media Group in Oslo. He also runs a cultural organisation called the Indian Sport and Cultural Association of Norway.
Wayanad District Police Chief Taposh Basumatary confirmed that local authorities were aware of the sensitive nature of the issue and have provided protection to Rinson’s family in Mananthavady. However, no specific orders have been given by state or central authorities regarding the investigation.
Meanwhile, international media reported that Bulgarian authorities clarified that Norta Global had nothing to do with the delivery of exploding communication devices.