Rinson Jose, a Norwegian citizen born in Kerala, has been linked to the Hezbollah pager blasts in Lebanon, that killed 12 people. According to reports, Norta Global, a Bulgaria-based company owned by him, had a role in supplying the pagers.
Who is Rinson Jose?
37-year-old, Jose is the sole owner of the Bulgaria-based company Norta Global Limited and is suspected of being involved in the supply chain for the pagers that detonated during the incident.
Jose was born in Kerala’s Wayanad, and went to Norway to pursue higher studies a few years ago. He briefly worked in London before going back to Oslo.
Jose’s relatives revealed that he is settled with his wife in Oslo and has a twin brother based in London. “We speak daily over the phone. However, for the last three days, we have had no contact with Jose. He is a straightforward person and we trust him fully. He will not be part of any wrongdoing. He may have been trapped in these blasts,” Thankachen, said Jose’s relative.
Jose’s family, has expressed disbelief regarding his potential involvement. Talking to local media, his uncle, Thangachan, stated that he suspects Rinson may have been deceived or misled about his business dealings. The family has struggled to contact him since the incident.
Jose founded Norta Global Ltd in April 22. The company is based in Bulgaria’s Sofia and declared a revenue of $ 725,000 (approximately ₹ 6 crore) for consulting activities outside the European Union last year.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Jose is an entrepreneur in NortaLink, an IT services, consulting, procurement, and recruiting Company. Norta Global is allegedly a shell company of NortaLink.
Bulgarian state security agency DANS revealed on Friday that the pagers used in the blasts in Lebanon were not imported, exported or manufactured in Bulgaria. They added that the company and its owner had “not carried out any transactions linked to the sale or purchase of the merchandise” or that “fall under laws on terrorism financing”.
