Intercepted conversations between a ganglord in Bihar and a contract killer in Gujarat for a month or so have revealed connections that run across the country.

Rambabu Yadav, kingpin of an inter-state gang of contract killers, was arrested with his two associates - Bhola Singh and Rajnikant Singh - from National Highway 2 near Tarachandi temple in Rohtas district on Sunday night. Two country-made pistols, a number of live cartridges, three cellphones and a motorcycle were recovered from them.

Rambabu's calls had been under surveillance since November 30. In one such call, the police tapped a conversation between Rambabu and a jailed don in Gujarat. The man in Gujarat, whose identity the officers didn't disclose, is heard telling Rambabu: ' Mubarak ho, pichhali baar kaam thik se ho gaya tha (Congratulations, last time the task was accomplished well).'

Rohtas superintendent of police (SP) Chandan Kumar Kushwaha said they found links between Rambabu, a resident of Mathurapur Colony under Dalmiyanagar police outpost in Rohtas district, and contract killers of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Rambabu, sources said, stepped into the world of crime more than a decade ago. He gained notoriety in 2006 with the kidnapping and subsequent murder of five children from the Imadpur police station area in Bhojpur district. He was also involved in the loot of a police rifle after the murder of a constable in Aurangabad on September 26 this year.

Kushwaha said Rambabu (30), also called Doctor and Anup Singh, had shifted base to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh around 2007. In Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, he was paid Rs 25-30 lakh for jobs, which in Bihar got him Rs 1-2 lakh.

Back to Bihar about a year ago, the 30-year-old hired youths from Rohtas and neighbouring districts and paid them hefty sums for carrying out contract jobs outside Bihar. Men in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, who sanctioned the job, sent the money to Rambabu's bank account.

Rohtas SP Kushwaha told The Telegraph. 'The police have frozen Rambabu's bank accounts.'

Rambabu has confessed to officers that he received huge sums for contract jobs in Gujarat. Wanted in at least nine cases of kidnapping for ransom, murder, extortion and loot pending in Rohtas, Kaimur, Aurangabad and Bhojpur districts, Rambabu also told the interrogators that he used to provide sharpshooters to gangs operating in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

He said a police team would be sent to Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh soon to inquire into Rambabu's contacts in the other state. 'We have contacted senior police officers in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to ascertain the identity of the gangsters who hired goons from Bihar,' he added.

'Rambabu used to provide the other gangs hitmen for huge amounts of money. He also arranged sophisticated weapons for the contract killers sent outside Bihar,' he said.