Hezbollah Pager Blasts: International Warrant Issued for Kerala-Born Businessman Rinson Jose

Oslo: Norwegian police have issued an international search warrant for Rinson Jose, a 39-year-old Norwegian-Indian man linked to the sale of pagers that exploded in Lebanon last week. Jose has now disappeared while on a work trip to Boston and has not been heard from since September 18.

Unni T. Grøndal, press chief for the Oslo police district, stated, "Oslo Police district has received a missing person report. It is being processed and possible measures are being assessed." The Norwegian criminal police unit, KRIPOS, confirmed that an international search request has been sent. Senior adviser Axel Wilhelm Due said, "The NCIS, the international point of contact for the Norwegian police, has circulated an Interpol Yellow (missing person) Diffusion at the request of Oslo Police District."

Rinson Jose, a businessman from Kerala , is being investigated for his Bulgaria-based company, Norta Global Ltd, which allegedly supplied pagers to the Lebanese group Hezbollah. The pagers were detonated by Israel, resulting in over 30 deaths and thousands of injuries across Lebanon.

Reports indicate that the pager deal was facilitated by a Bulgarian company, Norta Global Ltd, founded by Jose in 2022. While Jose and his company were cleared of any association with the explosions by Bulgarian authorities, Norway is actively searching for him following his disappearance in the US.

On September 25, the Oslo police district opened a missing person case related to the pager incident, confirming that they have issued an international warrant for Jose.

Born in Wayanad, Kerala , Jose moved to Norway after completing his MBA. His family shared that he graduated from Mary Matha College in Mananthavady and later transitioned into business roles in Norway.

The investigation into the pagers also reveals connections to a Taiwanese company called Gold Apollo. Gold Apollo’s founder, Hsu Ching-Kuang, has linked the pagers to a Hungary-based company, BAC Consulting, which acted as an intermediary in the transaction with Norta Global.

Norway's security police (PST) have begun a probe to assess whether Jose's company was involved in the Hezbollah pager blasts. However, a previous investigation by Bulgaria's National Security Agency (SANS) cleared Jose and Norta Global of wrongdoing, stating that there was no evidence the pagers entered the EU legally through Bulgaria.

Despite efforts by media outlets to reach him, Jose has remained unreachable. He briefly spoke to news agency Reuters but declined to comment on the situation and hung up when asked about his business in Bulgaria.