And, as is wont on screen and outside of it, the Kotwali police arrived in the nick of time. They arrested two youths from a gang of a dozen kidnappers who captured a Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking mechanic and his 30-year-old wife. The police seized a revolver, five cartridges, two swords and a chopper from two vehicles.

At around 5.30 pm today, Sharmila Prakash Chavan took a dramatic jump from a Tata Sumo, which had stopped at a petrol pump on the Nagar-Aurangabad Road, and drew the attention of the traffic police.

A badly-injured Chavan told the policemen that she and her husband were being forcibly taken to Mumbai, and that the kidnappers were demanding five petis -- Rs 5 lakh. Before the police could swing into action, about a dozenpersons gave chase in two jeeps. Ganesh Gogawale of Panvel and Baba Bhosale from Osmanabad district were nabbed and handed over to the police.

The Chavans hail from Bhum in Osmanabad district, the police said. Chavan has been admitted to the civil hospital here.