Overview
- The Indian Express compilation of RTI replies published Monday found about 1.27 crore missing bedroll items — face towels, bedsheets, pillow covers, blankets and pillows — from AC coaches between January 2022 and May 2026.
- Available division-level data put the replacement cost to contractors at roughly Rs 104.51 crore, though totals may be higher because replies came from 54 of 69 divisions and some figures were incomplete.
- Face towels were the single most stolen item at about 46.54 lakh pieces, followed by 41.13 lakh bedsheets and smaller totals for pillow covers, blankets and pillows.
- Ten railway divisions accounted for about two-thirds of the losses, with sharp local spikes in Bikaner and sustained high counts in Ranchi, Delhi and Mumbai, showing the problem is geographically concentrated.
- Contractors report ending some contracts under financial strain and say replacement costs are recovered from agency bills and often deducted from low-paid coach attendants' wages, prompting the Railways to cite measures such as CCTV, the Coach Mitra app and police checks to curb theft.