Lebanon pager blasts: Rinson sends mail, ends ties with Norway firm, cops close missing case

More than a month after Rinson Jose, the Kerala-born Norwegian citizen allegedly linked to the probe into Lebanon pager blasts, was reported missing, he has communicated with the company in Norway where he was employed. Rinson has agreed to end his employment with the DN Media group in Norway. 

Amund Djuve, CEO of DN Media group, confirmed to Onmanorama that Rinson had responded to the company's mail. "I can confirm that we have agreed with him that he is no longer employed with us, and because of that, there is no reason for us to report him as missing. We sent him an email one-and-a-half weeks ago, and he quickly responded to it," said Amund Djuve. He did not comment on whether Rinson's wife, also an employee of DN Media group, is still employed with the company. 

Oslo police have also withdrawn the missing case. "We can confirm that the police have withdrawn the missing case. The police have closed the case, and there is no further search for the person. The police have not confirmed who reported him missing," said Unni T Grøndal, Press chief of the Oslo police district, in an email response to Onmanorama.

Rinson has remained incommunicado since September 17, when Lebanon was rocked by a series of pager blasts, killing nine people and injuring thousands. His friends in Norway, with whom he had frequently associated in organising functions and gatherings, were also unable to reach him. Repeated calls to his number went unanswered. He was last seen in Norway during an Onam celebration held on September 14. He had flown to the US to attend a conference on digital marketing. However, Norwegian news outlet VG reported that he never attended the conference. It was also reported that he used his Norwegian passport to leave the US by the end of September. Sources said that his house in Norway remained vacant.

A family member who did not wish to be named said that they are glad to know that he has communicated with his company. "We had a clue that he was in Norway," he said. His friends in Norway are still in the dark about Rinson's whereabouts. While the police have closed the missing case, the question still remains as to where he is at present. Many of his friends have found it hard to come to grips with reports linking his name to the blasts. However, his sudden disappearance from Norway has only added to the mystery. 

Norta Global Limited owned by Rinson received Norwegian krone (NOK) 18 million (Rs 14.31 crore) from a bank in Israel, VG had reported. According to the VG report, the payment was received for services offered by Norta Global to a company in Hong Kong. However, VG accessed documents which showed that the money was credited to Norta Global's account from an account in an Israeli bank.

Pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah detonated in Lebanon and Syria in September and it was believed to have been carried out by Israel, according to the Associated Press. Soon after the blasts, two European firms, BAC Consulting in Hungary and Norta Global, owned by Rinson in Bulgaria, were linked to the supply of pagers to Hezbollah.