A Chisinau woman, 33, hired a criminal group to blackmail her husband out of 350,000 euros. The man endured threats for eight months, seeing his car being set on fire. The General Police Inspectorate started an investigation, IPN reports.

The police have arrested 3 men and 2 women from Chisinau and Straseni district. One of the men had only got out of prison in 2012, after serving a 18-year sentence for kidnapping a person.

Since May 2013, the victim, a 53-year-old businessman, had been receiving calls threatening him with beating and murder. The police found that his wife and her mother, 53, hired thugs to blackmail him for money. The police searched the houses of the suspects, where they found the cell phones and SIM cards used for calling the victim.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated on charges of blackmail, which could land the suspects in prison for terms ranging from 13 to 15 years.