An RTI investigation conducted by The Indian Express has uncovered that at least 1.27 crore linen items have been reported missing from AC coaches between January 2022 and May 2026. The missing items include bedsheets, towels, blankets, pillows, and pillow covers. The report further highlighted a 56% rise in linen theft from 2022 to 2025.
The newspaper submitted RTI applications to all 69 railway divisions. Responses were received from 54 divisions across 16 railway zones, though some only provided partial data.
Towels are the most stolen
Among all the items in the bedroll, face towels ranked as the most frequently stolen.
Here’s the breakdown:
- Face towels: 46.54 lakh
- Bedsheets: 41.13 lakh
- Pillow covers: 23.59 lakh
- Blankets: 12.95 lakh
- Pillows: 2.76 lakh
According to the findings, the estimated loss due to missing linen amounts to ₹ 104.51 crore. Since several railway divisions did not provide exhaustive data, the true figure could be even higher.
Railway divisions with the highest theft rates
The RTI replies indicated that a small number of railway divisions accounted for the majority of missing linen.
The divisions with the highest counts of stolen items were:
- Bikaner – 25.76 lakh
- Ranchi – 9.31 lakh
- Delhi – 8.21 lakh
- Mumbai – 8.17 lakh
- Jodhpur – 8.09 lakh
- Ahmedabad – 6.94 lakh
- Danapur – 5.72 lakh
In total, 10 railway divisions across seven zones accounted for nearly 67% of the total reported theft.
The report also identified various trends among divisions. In Bikaner, bedsheets were stolen most frequently; while towels were the top target in Delhi, Ranchi, Mumbai, Danapur, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur. Pillow covers were mostly taken in Sonpur and Bilaspur, and blankets were most commonly stolen in Jodhpur.
Some areas experienced increases, while others saw declines
The Bikaner division reported the most significant rise in linen theft, with the number of missing items soaring from 2.99 lakh in 2022 to 12.34 lakh. Sonpur also noted a sharp increase during this timeframe.
Conversely, Delhi recorded a dramatic 79% decrease in linen theft. Ahmedabad and Samastipur also saw significant reductions.
Interestingly, the Tiruchirappalli and Palakkad divisions reported no linen theft incidents, while Adra noted none as it does not operate AC passenger coaches.
Impact on contractors and attendants
Although the linen is owned by the Railways, contractors are tasked with supplying and managing it. The cost of missing items is typically deducted from contractors, which often leads to reductions in the salaries of coach attendants.
A supervisor from a bedroll distribution firm in the Solapur division remarked, “Linen theft is a serious issue for us. A considerable portion of earnings is deducted from bills for these incidents. Our three-year contract with the Railways had to be terminated in 14 months due to payment delays.”
An attendant working in the East Central Railway shared the financial impact: “There are seven attendants on this train, each managing an AC coach. We are paid daily, and I earn ₹700 for a day’s work. If I work continuously for 30 days, I should earn about ₹21,000 in a month. However, that doesn’t happen because every month, around ₹2,000-3,000 is deducted for linen theft.”
What are the Railways doing?
In response to the findings, a Ministry of Railways spokesperson acknowledged the issue as ‘serious’ and stated that “efforts are underway to curb linen theft and take action against offenders.” The spokesperson added that the Railways ‘cannot confirm’ any evidence of staff involvement in the thefts.
To mitigate losses, the Railways has introduced measures such as CCTV surveillance, the Coach Mitra app for tracking linen distribution, police verification of contractor personnel, reminders for passengers to return bedrolls before arrival, and dedicated AC coach attendants in select divisions. The Railway Protection Force has also asserted that linen theft is a non-bailable offense under the Railway Property Act.
