India, July 14 -- Indian Railways fully resumed handing out of linen items to passengers from January 2022, after the Covid pandemic had led to the provision being halted. But between January 2022 and May 2026, at least 1.27 crore bedroll pieces were stolen from trains, mainly by passengers.

This resulted in a loss of about Rs.104.51 crore to contractors, according to an RTI-based investigation by The Indian Express. Around 8 lakh passengers travel in AC coaches every night across the Indian Railways network, it said.

As each journey ends, about one in 1,000 passengers walks away with at least one bedroll item.

The data was complied after replies from 54 divisions across 16 of 18 Railway zones, with some sharing partial information.

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