Indian-born entrepreneur Rinson Jose ‘linked’ to pager blasts: Surveillance around Kerala home, family says he’s incommunicado

Since the reports emerged, police in Wayanad have stepped up surveillance around the home of Rinson’s parents, an officer of the state special branch (intelligence wing) told The Indian Express.

According to Mail Online, while the pagers were manufactured by a Hungarian company, BAC Consulting, under the trademark of Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo, they were purportedly acquired through Norta Global. (Reuters)

“There is no threat to them, but surveillance has been placed around the area since Friday. We have not come across anything suspicious about the family or the man so far. Twin brothers Rinson and Jinson and their sister have been working abroad for the last several years. But no sign of wealth creation is seen around the family back in Kerala. Over the last ten years, the brothers have only bought a small piece of land here,” said the officer.

Jose’s family lives in Mananthavady in Wayanad district. Son of farmer-cum-tailor Moothedath Jose and Gracy, Rinson migrated to Norway 10 years ago along with Jinson. Rinson attained Norwegian citizenship a few years ago.

An ambulance arrived at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) as more than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded when the pagers exploded across Lebanon. (Reuters)“Both brothers studied for priesthood in Bengaluru for a few years. After discontinuing the seminary studies, they joined a management course and attained MBA from Bengaluru. Both are hardworking. In the initial years, after landing in Norway, they had done several sundry jobs before joining a firm. Last year, Jinson moved to the UK for a better job,” their uncle Thankachan told The Indian Express.

According to Reuters, when the news agency reached Jose over the phone, he declined to comment on the pagers and hung up when asked about the Bulgarian business.

He said Rinson had come home in November last year along with his wife, a nurse. “Four days ago, he made a usual courtesy call to his father, who is indisposed. There was no mention of any trouble. He normally shares every development with his family. After the news emerged, we tried to contact him, but he has not responded. His brother has not been able to get in touch with him either. We are waiting to hear from him,” he said.

According to Reuters, when the news agency reached Jose over the phone, he declined to comment on the pagers and hung up when asked about the Bulgarian business.

His neighbours in a quiet suburb of Oslo said they didn’t know much about him, Reuters reported. Amund Djuve, the CEO of DN Media, where Jose currently works, told Reuters he was aware of the reports and had alerted the police and security services. He said that Jose was travelling to the United States. “We are taking these matters very seriously,” Djuve said.

Oslo police said it had initiated “preliminary enquiries into the information that had come to light”. Norway’s domestic intelligence agency, PST, said it was aware of the situation and declined to comment further.