Delhi RPF received 12,232 calls from passengers reporting belongings left behind on trains between January and May 2026, a 54% increase over the same period last year, according to figures cited in a report by Jagran – New Delhi. Mobile phones and chargers were among the items most frequently reported missing, along with laptops, shoes, bags, spectacles, earphones, tiffin boxes, purses and important documents.
The number of complaints rose from 7,922 during the corresponding period last year to 12,232 this year. The figures cover passengers who contacted the Railway Protection Force after losing or leaving items on trains operating through the Delhi division.
An RPF official attributed the increase to passenger rush and the difficulty of managing multiple bags while boarding, changing coaches or getting off trains. Passengers sometimes leave belongings on upper berths, while others reportedly forget shoes after removing them during the journey. Mobile phone chargers are also commonly left behind when passengers charge their phones and disembark without collecting the equipment.
The RPF has also reported an increase in the number of belongings recovered and returned to passengers. Between January and May, its teams located and returned 3,157 items, compared with 2,204 items during the same period last year. That represents an increase of about 43% in recovered belongings.
Passengers who leave an item on a train can contact the railway helpline at 139. According to the report, RPF staff then coordinate with the coach attendant, check available CCTV footage and send personnel to inspect the relevant seat or berth. When an item is found, the passenger is asked to collect it from the nearest RPF post.
RPF Senior Commissioner Ashutosh Pandey said the force’s teams remain deployed around the clock to help keep passengers’ belongings safe and return them when they are recovered. The process requires passengers to provide details of the journey and the location where the item may have been left so that railway staff and RPF personnel can begin the search.
