Indian Railways Coach Mitra App Linen Theft Passenger Behaviour

Divisions across the Railways have adopted a mix of measures to curb the theft of linen items from AC coaches — from counselling bedroll attendants, monitoring linen through CCTV, and using the Coach Mitra app, according to RTI replies received by The Indian Express.

The primary response across divisions has been to counsel bedroll attendants: instructing them to remain vigilant, monitor linen closely, ensure prompt collection, stay alert during duty hours, take proper care of linen items, and undergo sensitisation and special drives.

In a letter to general managers of all zones in September 2015, the Railway Board had prescribed that linen distribution staff advise passengers to hand over used linen at least 30 minutes before deboarding. It also directed that a watch be kept on regular defaulters causing loss of linen, with suitable counselling, training and penalties where required.

RTI replies received by this newspaper show that a total of 1.27 crore linen items — blankets, pillows, pillow covers, bedsheets and towels — were stolen from trains between 2022 and May 2026, across 54 divisions of 16 zones.

The cost of lost items is recovered from the contractor’s bill, and the contractor, in turn, recovers the amount from the bedroll attendants deployed in the coaches.

“Instructions have been issued to bedroll distribution staff for monitoring linen items to minimise theft. Penalties are imposed on the contractors as per the contract for theft/ missing items,” said the Waltair division of East Coast Railway, in response to the RTI application.

Similarly, the Bikaner division of North Western Railway (NWR), which registered the highest theft among the 54 divisions, said, “To avoid theft-related cases, attendants are utilizing the Coach Mitra app, which enables them to track boarding and deboarding activities and also have a feature in which the attendant can record the issuance and collection of linen from passengers.”

The Bhusaval Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Central Railway said that under the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act, theft of railway towels, bedsheets or blankets is a non-bailable offence. “RPF has been directed to conduct a lawful search of a suspicious passenger’s luggage within the coach if the linen is not returned. Patrolling on night trains and surprise inspection are other measures,” said the division.

The Jodhpur division of NWR said that proper accounting and verification of linen items are carried out before the departure or termination of trains. “In addition, all linen attendants are being regularly counselled and sensitized regarding the safe handling and accountability of linen items to prevent theft and pilferage,” said the division.

The Ambala division of Northern Railway said, “The material is kept at the safe allocated place to avoid/ minimize the theft case. Also CCTVs are being installed in coaches to avoid theft cases.” Similarly, South Western Railway (SWR) said one staff member per coach is deployed for linen distribution to ensure proper monitoring.

“Strengthening monitoring and supervision during loading and unloading of linen. Conducting periodic checks and inspections at stations and depots. Initiating disciplinary action against persons found responsible for loss/ theft. Periodic review of linen handling procedures to prevent recurrence of such incidents,” said the Salem division of Southern Railway.

The Kota division of West Central Railway said it conducts police verification of contractors’ employees to curb theft. The Bhopal division, in its response to the RTI application, said, “No action has been initiated or recorded against any passengers by the C&W (Carriage and Wagon) department in theft cases due to no information of persons involved in theft… The AC attendant was counselled to remain alert regarding the said theft. Awareness campaigns are being run by Indian Railways on social media.”

The division further said that under a new policy, an ACCA (AC Coach Attendant) has been nominated for each coach according to the coach number, which has led to a decrease in theft incidents.

The Solapur division of Central Railway said coach attendants are counselled for prompt collection of used linen from passengers well before the train’s arrival at the destination station. The Sonpur division of East Central Railway said staff are counselled to be vigilant and careful to ensure the security of linen items during the journey.

“We have printed instructions on linen packets for returning used linen 30 minutes before completion of journey by passengers so that the same can be collected and stacked properly before the train reaches destination,” said the Ranchi division of South Eastern Railway.

The Mumbai division said instructions have been issued to ticket-checking staff to provide details on the boarding and deboarding of passengers, and attendants have been instructed to remain vigilant.

Dheeraj Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with the Business Bureau of The Indian Express. He plays a critical role in covering India's massive infrastructure sectors, providing in-depth reporting on the connectivity lifelines of the nation. Expertise & Focus Areas: Mishra’s journalism is focused on two of the country's most capital-intensive and public-facing ministries: Ministry of Railways: Tracking the operations, safety, and development of India's vast railway network. Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: Covering policy decisions, infrastructure projects, and highway development. What sets Mishra apart is his rigorous use of the Right to Information (RTI) Actas a primary tool for news gathering. By relying on official data and government records, he ensures a high degree of accuracy and trustworthiness in his reporting. This data-driven approach has resulted in numerous impactful reports that hold public institutions accountable and bring transparency to government operations. Find all stories by Dheeraj Mishra here ... Read More