More than 1.27 crore (indian rupees) bedroll items disappeared from Indian Railways’ AC coaches between January 2022 and May 2026, according to an RTI investigation by The Indian Express. The findings reveal a growing problem that has cost contractors an estimated Rs104.51 crore over four years.
The newspaper filed RTI applications with all 69 railway divisions. Fifty four divisions across 16 of India’s 18 railway zones responded, although some supplied only partial records.
Indian Railways provides bedrolls to nearly 800,000 AC passengers every night. Each passenger receives two bedsheets, a blanket, a pillow, a pillow cover and a face towel. Officials estimate that about one in every 1,000 passengers leaves the train carrying at least one linen item.
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The figures also show a 56 percent increase in thefts between 2022 and 2025.
A Ministry of Railways spokesperson described the issue as a “serious concern” and said “efforts are being made to prevent linen theft and take action against offenders.” The spokesperson added that the Railways “cannot establish” evidence of staff collusion.
Face towels remain the most stolen item
Face towels topped the list of missing items during the four-year period.
Passengers took away 46.54 lakh towels, followed by 41.13 lakh bedsheets, 23.59 lakh pillow covers, 12.95 lakh blankets and 2.76 lakh pillows.
The ease of carrying towels appears to make them the preferred target for theft.
Bikaner reports the highest losses
The Bikaner division recorded the largest number of missing items with 25.76 lakh. Ranchi followed with 9.31 lakh, while Delhi reported 8.21 lakh. Mumbai, Jodhpur, Ahmedabad and Danapur also ranked among the worst-hit divisions.
The data also highlights regional trends.
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Passengers mostly stole bedsheets in Bikaner. Towels dominated thefts in Delhi, Ranchi, Mumbai, Danapur, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Pillow covers topped the list in Sonpur and Bilaspur, while blankets became the most stolen item in Jodhpur.
Some railway divisions buck the trend
Not every division witnessed rising theft. Bikaner experienced the sharpest increase, with missing items rising from 2.99 lakh in 2022 to 12.34 lakh during the reporting period.
Meanwhile, Delhi reduced theft by 79 percent. Ahmedabad lowered losses by 83 percent, while Samastipur achieved an 86 percent decline.
Tiruchirappalli and Palakkad reported no linen theft during the period.
Contractors and attendants pay the price
Although Indian Railways owns the linen, contractors manage its distribution. When passengers steal bedroll items, contractors bear the initial financial loss before deducting money from attendants’ wages.
The Railways spokesperson explained, “Generally linen (items) are collected by linen attendants after de-boarding of passengers from trains. The responsibility of account of linens in Railway coaches is of the agency who has been deployed for linen distribution. For any shortage, cost recovery is done from the bills of the agency.”
The spokesperson added that “due to theft of linen, additional linen sets are required to meet the shortfall.”
Several contractors described the situation as financially damaging.
One supervisor from a bedroll distribution company in Solapur said, “The theft of linen is a real problem for us.”
“A significant portion of the earnings is deducted from the bill for these cases. We had a three-year contract with the Railways, but we had to end it in 14 months due to delay in payment.”
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A linen attendant working on an East Central Railway train said he earns Rs700 a day, but deductions for missing linen reduce his monthly income by Rs2,000 to Rs3,000.
“During March and April, 17 bedsheets, three blankets, and nine pillows were lost on my watch,” he said.
Railways steps up anti-theft measures
Indian Railways has introduced several measures to curb linen theft.
Officials now use CCTV cameras, the Coach Mitra tracking app, police verification of contractor staff and dedicated AC coach attendants in selected divisions.
The Railway Board also instructs passengers to return linen 30 minutes before reaching their destination. The Railway Protection Force warns that stealing railway property remains a non-bailable offence under the Railway Property Act.
Officials believe the actual financial loss could exceed current estimates because several railway divisions submitted incomplete RTI records.
