Passengers travelling in AC coaches could soon see stricter checks and new monitoring measures as Indian Railways looks at ways to curb the growing theft of bedroll items such as towels, bedsheets and blankets.
The move comes after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw directed officials to propose reforms to tackle the issue, a day after The Indian Express published an investigation highlighting the scale of linen theft on trains. During a press conference on the Railways’ “52 reforms in 52 weeks” initiative, the minister asked officials for a timeline to address the problem, with senior officials seeking about two months to finalise a solution.
What’s changing for AC coach passengers?
The Railways is exploring several options to reduce linen theft, including granting the Railway Protection Force (RPF) powers to take stricter action against offenders.
One proposal under consideration is allowing the RPF to search the luggage of suspicious passengers if railway linen is not returned before they leave the train. Officials told The Indian Express that the issue is difficult to tackle because identifying passengers responsible for the theft is often challenging.
Under the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act, theft of railway property such as towels, bedsheets and blankets is already a non-bailable offence.
Over 1.27 crore linen items reported missing
The reforms come after The Indian Express, through RTI applications filed across Indian Railways, found that at least 1.27 crore linen items went missing between January 2022 and May 2026 across 54 railway divisions in 16 zones.
The data showed that thefts increased from 24.83 lakh items in 2022 to 38.81 lakh in 2025, reflecting a sharp rise after bedroll services resumed following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among the missing items, towels topped the list with 46.54 lakh thefts, followed by bedsheets (41.13 lakh), pillow covers (23.59 lakh), blankets (12.95 lakh) and pillows (2.76 lakh).
The investigation also estimated that contractors supplying linen to Railways suffered losses of about Rs 104.51 crore, with attendants alleging that these costs are often recovered from their salaries.
How Railways is already trying to stop theft
The railway divisions across the country have adopted different strategies to minimise theft.
Several divisions said attendants are regularly counselled to remain alert, closely monitor bedrolls and collect used linen at least 30 minutes before passengers deboard, in line with Railway Board instructions issued in 2015.
Some divisions have gone beyond counselling. The Bikaner Division has introduced the Coach Mitra app, enabling attendants to track passenger boarding and deboarding while recording the distribution and collection of linen.
The Ambala Division said CCTV cameras are being installed in coaches to discourage theft, while the Bhusaval RPF reported increased night patrolling, surprise inspections and lawful searches in suspicious cases.
Other divisions have strengthened linen accounting, police verification of contractor staff, designated one attendant for each AC coach and stepped up awareness campaigns on returning railway-issued linen before the journey ends, according to the RTI replies accessed by The Indian Express.
