Thousands of pagers exploded in Lebanon, killing around 20 people and injuring scores, most of them said to be members of Hezbollah. There is debate all over the world as to which company the pager reached Hezbollah from. Amidst all this, a surprising Kerala connection to these blasts has also come to light.
In fact, Hezbollah has blamed Israel for these blasts. Israel has not yet claimed direct responsibility for this. After the blasts, the world is trying to figure out how Israel's spy agencies set off the blasts with pagers. Surprisingly, the web of companies and shell firms also revealed the name of a person born in Kerala who is now a citizen of Norway.
Norta Global Company hails from Rinson, a resident of Kerala Hungarian media outlet Telex reported that Ranson Jose, a Malayali and now a Norwegian citizen, is being investigated in connection with Tuesday's pager blast in Lebanon. According to Telex, Bulgarian company Norta Global Ltd was behind the pager deal. Norta Global was founded by Norwegian citizen Rinson Jos. Rinus Jose is originally from Mananthavadi, Wayanad, Kerala.
Several Kerala media outlets reported on Friday that Rinson Jose was born in Wayanad and moved to Norway after completing his MBA. Some local TV channels also spoke to his relatives.
On September 17, 3000 pagers were blasted in Lebanon within an hour. Hezbollah accused Israel of carrying out the blasts.
Rinson's father is a tailor According to a Manorama Online report, Rinson's father Jose Muthedam is a tailor and works at a tailor shop in Manantwadi. He said he was known locally as 'Taylor Jose'. An investigation by SANS, the Bulgarian security agency, found that none of the shipments authorized for Rinson Jose and his Norta Global passed through the country.
Who is Rinson? Even before Bulgaria's National Security Agency gave Rinson Jose a clean chit, it is being discussed in India, especially in his home state of Kerala. Rinson's cousin Aju John told Manorama Online, “He has never told me about any of his companies in Bulgaria or any of his business ties there. We are very worried because he is linked to attacks on terrorist organizations.”
Rinson has been missing since the pager attack. His family says they have no news about Rinson.
Local media also reported that Rinson has a twin brother, Jinson, who is in the UK and a sister in Ireland. It was revealed that Rinson had come to India in November last year and had gone back in January.
His uncle Thankachan told Manorama Online, “Rinson graduated from Mary Matha College, Mananthwadi. After completing his MBA, he went to Norway as a caretaker and later joined some business firms. We don't get information about his job or his business.”
Amidst all this, it is interesting to know how a person born in Kerala ended up in the list of people whose wires could be somehow connected to pagers. After thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded, everyone's attention turned to who the pager manufacturer was.
Hungarian CEO who knows 7 languages in doubt
Christina Barsoni said she was only acting as a link in the pager supply case.
Earlier it was claimed that Taiwanese company Gold Apollo manufactured these pagers, but Gold Apollo denied this.
Gold Apollo said that although their company's name was on the pager, they did not supply it. Gold Apollo said it may have been made by Hungarian company BAC Consulting. He has a contract with BAC Consulting. The headquarters of this company is in the capital Budapest.
Subsequently, Hungarian media reports claimed that BAC Consulting was merely an intermediary in the transaction. BAC Consulting is not operational nor does it have an office.
BAC Consulting CEO Cristiana Barsoni said BAC Consulting works with KFT Gold Apollo, but declined to produce a pager. Barsoni is fluent in 7 languages and has a PhD in Practical Physics.
How Rinson Jose came under investigationAccording to Telex, “Although on paper it was BAC Consulting that signed the contract with Gold Apollo, in reality Norta Global was behind the deal.” It was the Middle East-focused website The Cradle that connected Norta Global to Rinson Jose. As reported by The Cradle, Norta Global was founded in 2022 by Norwegian citizen Rinson Jos. It is located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
An investigation by Bulgaria's National Security Agency (SANS) gave Rinson Jose and his Norta Global a clean chit.
It is still unclear who manufactured the pagers used by Hezbollah in Lebanon. A Kerala-born person also came under the scanner in a complex web of companies. However, it is a relief that he and his company have been cleared of being linked to the deadly blasts.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
