BHOPAL: Coach attendants are under scrutiny amid a sharp rise in high-value thefts from air-conditioned coaches of long-distance trains passing through central and northern Madhya Pradesh.
A study of theft patterns in moving trains passing through stations under the jurisdiction of the state's Government Railway Police (GRP) in Vidisha and Gwalior has prompted its researcher to recommend a thorough probe into the possible role of coach attendants in future crime cases reported in AC coaches.
The study, conducted by AIG-GRP Arvind Kumar Dubey and recently submitted to GRP headquarters in Bhopal, found that unreserved sleeper coaches recorded the highest overall number of thefts, followed by reserved sleeper and AC coaches. However, AC coaches recorded the sharpest year-on-year rise in cases.
Under GRP-Vidisha in central MP, thefts in AC coaches jumped 162% in 2024 from 2023, compared with a 9.31% rise in reserved sleeper coaches and a 53% increase in unreserved sleeper coaches.
A similar trend was recorded under GRP-Gwalior, where AC coach thefts rose 159%, compared with a 65% increase in reserved sleeper coaches and an 8% rise in unreserved sleeper coaches.
"Thefts in non-AC and AC coaches while the train is hurtling shouldn't be analysed on the same level, particularly as the AC coaches are considered the safest, especially due to packed windows and the availability of dedicated coach attendants. Therefore, the cases of crime in AC coaches are comparatively more harmful than the cases in sleeper coaches," Dubey mentioned in his communication to the SP-GRPs of Indore, Bhopal and Jabalpur, based on the findings of the study.
He recommended that coach attendants be rigorously questioned in every such case, their call detail records (CDRs) obtained, and calls made or received around the time of the theft closely examined.
Where involvement is established, Dubey suggested they be made co-accused and prosecuted, with full details shared with the Railways.
This is not the first time AC coach attendants have come under scrutiny.
In February 2026, Madhya Pradesh's State Tiger Strike Force (STSF) busted an inter-state turtle smuggling racket that used AC First Class coaches to transport turtles poached from rivers in Uttar Pradesh into Madhya Pradesh. At least two coach attendants were arrested for acting as couriers in the racket.
The study, which examined crime data from moving trains between 2022 and 2024, identified 12-14 trains as recurring targets of criminals operating in central and northern MP.
They included the Rewanchal Express, Shridham Express, Bhopal Express, Tamil Nadu Express, Mahakoshal Express, Malwa Express, Jodhpur-Bhopal Express, Dakshin Express, GT Express, Patalkot Express, Pathankot Express, Karnataka Express and Intercity Express. Ten of these were flagged as the most targeted trains in the region.
The analysis also found that passengers were most vulnerable during a nine-hour window at night and in the early morning, with 64% of all analysed thefts occurring between midnight and 9 am. Most of these cases were concentrated in the midnight-to-3 am and 3 am-to-6 am periods.
Acting on the findings, GRP headquarters in Bhopal directed the police superintendents of Indore, Bhopal and Jabalpur to step up surprise checks and deploy additional guards on trains during the most vulnerable period, between midnight and 6 am.
Madhya Pradesh's Special Director General of Police (Railways), Raja Babu Singh, said, "Based on the findings of the important study, the concerned GRP station in-charges have been asked to prepare action plans to stop thefts in trains passing through the areas of their jurisdiction. Utmost priority is being given to checking occurrence of crimes in moving trains, especially on the route which has been covered by the study."