Ranchi: For many passengers boarding AC coaches from trains under Ranchi railway division, the journey appears to end with more than just memories. Railway bed sheets, face towels, pillow covers, blankets and pillows are routinely going missing, with official data showing that towels remain the most “picked” item on trains.Between Jan and April, 57,660 face towels, 29,196 bed sheets and 25,311 pillow covers went missing from AC coaches of trains operating under the division. The list also included 4,009 blankets and 1,872 pillows, according to figures shared by railway authorities.The trend is not new. From 2021 to April 2026, Ranchi railway division reported the loss of 3.87 lakh face towels, 2.89 lakh bed sheets, 2 lakh pillow covers, 35,301 blankets and 18,535 pillows. Railway officials said no linen losses were recorded in 2021 as bedroll services had remained suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.The figures show that face towels are the most frequently stolen linen item, followed by bed sheets and pillow covers. Blankets and pillows, though bulkier, have also continued to disappear from coaches.Senior divisional commercial manager-cum-chief public relations officer of the railway division, Shreya Singh, said the trend was not restricted to AC 2-tier and AC 3-tier passengers. “Those travelling in AC first class also contribute to such thefts,” she said.Singh said passengers are clearly instructed through messages printed on linen bags to return the items 30 minutes before the train reaches its destination. “Despite clear instructions written on the linen bags, passengers continue to steal linen, showing lack of civic sense. The Railway Properties (Unlawful Possession) Act has penalty provisions for passengers committing theft of railway property,” she said.According to Singh, such incidents are reported most frequently on four trains — Hatia-Islampur Express, Hatia-Purnia Court Express, Hatia Garib Rath Express and Hatia-Bengaluru Express.Railway officials said the losses add to operational costs and complicate linen management on long-distance trains, especially as fresh bedroll sets have to be supplied to passengers on subsequent journeys.
