Lebanon Pager Blasts: Indian Techie At The Centre Of Investigation, Who Is He?

The police in Kerala have started to gather information about Rinson Jose, who has come under investigation into the Lebanon pager blasts.

The investigation into the pager blasts that rocked Lebanon earlier this week has converged on an Indian-origin man from Kerala and his firm, Norta Global Limited. 

In the hunt for the source that supplied the explosives-laced communication devices to Hezbollah, which killed eight people, the investigations turned to Bulgaria and Norway. Bulgarian local media reported that Sofia-based Norta Global Ltd had facilitated the sale of the pagers to Hezbollah.

According to national broadcaster bTV, cash worth 1.6 million euros related to the transaction passed through Bulgaria to Hungary. 

Bulgarian state security agency DANS said on Thursday that it was working with the interior ministry to probe the role of an unnamed company registered in Bulgaria in connection to the device explosion attacks, reported Reuters. 

Records reviewed by CBS News revealed that Norta Global Ltd was registered as a company in Bulgaria in April 2022 with its sole owner listed as a Norwegian citizen named Rinson Jose. 

The company's website, which has since been taken offline, described itself as offering wide-ranging services "from outsourcing, consulting, tech and payment integration, analysis, promotion of techno products and services, as well as the estimation and processing of relevant commercial transactions."

Who Is Rinson Jose? 

Thirty-seven-year-old Rinson Jose migrated from Wayanad in Kerala to Norway a decade ago and has been active among the Malayali community there, reported Onmanorama. He earlier ran a job consultancy there and his LinkedIn profile shows that he has been employed with DN Media group since March 2022. 

His LinkedIn profile also describes him as an entrepreneur running NortaLink, an IT services, consulting, procurement and recruiting company. As per the report, Norta Global Limited is considered to be a shell company of NortaLink. 

According to the Onmanorama report, Jose completed his MBA from Pondicherry University and his Masters in International Social Welfare and Health Policy from Oslo Metropolitan University.

He also worked as a teacher with Poor Servants of Divine Providence (PDSP). 

Back in his village in the Wayanad district, his family is unaware of his company or other business details. Police conducted a ground check on Friday about his family and the details regarding their financial conditions. 

Deputy Superintendent of Police Special Branch, Wayanad, PL Shyju said that they have begun to gather information about Jose after receiving reports about his suspected involvement in the blasts.