&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Indian Railways’ hidden loss: Linen items worth more than Rs 100 crore stolen since 2022")
More than 1.27 crore linen items were reported stolen from Indian Railways over the last four years. According to the data, roughly one in every 1,000 passengers walks away with at least one item. This highlights a recurring issue that continues to burden the railway system and its contractors.
According to The Indian Express, which accessed the data through a Right to Information (RTI) application, the thefts were recorded between January 2022, when bedroll services fully resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic, and May 2026. The outlet added that the number of stolen items increased by 56 per cent between 2022 and 2025.
The RTI responses were received from 54 railway divisions spread across 16 of the Indian Railways’ 18 zones. While the figures represent only a small fraction of the millions of bedroll items supplied daily to AC passengers, they point to a persistent problem involving misuse of shared public resources.
The report added that the theft of linen has caused an estimated loss of Rs 104.51 crore to bedroll contractors during the four-year period.
Among all the items provided to passengers, face towels emerged as the most frequently stolen. RTI data showed that 46.54 lakh towels went missing, followed by 41.13 lakh bedsheets, 23.59 lakh pillow covers and 12.95 lakh blankets. Pillows were the least stolen item, with 2.76 lakh reported missing.
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The highest number of stolen linens was reported at the Bikaner railway division with 25.76 lakh items stolen, followed by Ranchi (9.31 lakh), Delhi (8.21 lakh), Mumbai (8.17 lakh), Jodhpur (8.09 lakh) and Ahmedabad (6.94 lakh), according to the report.
A Railway official described the issue as a “serious concern”, adding that authorities are taking steps to reduce linen theft and act against those responsible.
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Explaining the operational impact, a Railway spokesperson told The Indian Express, “Due to theft of linen, additional linen sets are required to meet the shortfall.” The spokesperson added that contractors responsible for distributing linen in coaches are required to maintain inventory, and any shortage is recovered from the agency entrusted with the service.
