A Russian mother of three has filed a report to the police, saying that debt collectors threatened to infect her children with AIDS over her husband’s 30,000-ruble (US$480) debt.

Since early July, the collectors have been bombarding the account of the borrower’s wife, Irina Mulykhina, on social media with warnings if the debt isn’t settled fast, she claims.

But they clearly crossed the line with one of their messages.

“Your man’s contract is being sold to us. You have 24 hours to find the money. If you won’t find it – we’ll start targeting the family, relatives and friends. We’re going to break lives in order for them to suffer because of you,” it apparently read.

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“Pray that an AIDS-infected needle doesn’t prick the younger ones,” the collectors wrote, referring to the family’s three children.

The plight of the family from Ekaterinburg began when Anton Mulykhin – Irina’s husband – took out a loan from a local bank in 2013, but was unable to pay it off after losing his job.

Finding a new job with good pay has been tough for the man due to an earlier criminal conviction on his record. The bank initially tried to settle matters with the client itself, but after not receiving any payments for years, it passed the matter on to the debt collectors.

Mulykhin told Komsomolskaya Pravda paper that he’s eager to return the money, but 30,000 rubles is his whole monthly salary.

“Where can I get such money from? I can return the debt, but only in parts. I need to feed the family after all. I have three little kids,” he said.

REN-TV tried to contact the debt collectors in order for them to explain their actions, but nobody in the firm agreed to talk to the journalists, the outlet said.

The bizarre case has not only caught the attention of the police, but also the Investigative Committee, which said it has launched an enquiry into the alleged threats.

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