diff --git a/dali/operators/reader/loader/indexed_file_loader.h b/dali/operators/reader/loader/indexed_file_loader.h
index 387e33de46..bfb755fe86 100755
--- a/dali/operators/reader/loader/indexed_file_loader.h
+++ b/dali/operators/reader/loader/indexed_file_loader.h
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 #include "dali/util/uri.h"
 #include "dali/util/file.h"
 #include "dali/util/odirect_file.h"
+#include "dali/core/call_at_exit.h"
 
 namespace dali {
 
@@ -192,13 +193,21 @@ class IndexedFileLoader : public Loader<CPUBackend, Tensor<CPUBackend>, true> {
     DALI_ENFORCE(index_uris.size() == paths_.size(),
         "Number of index files needs to match the number of data files");
     for (size_t i = 0; i < index_uris.size(); ++i) {
-      std::ifstream fin(index_uris[i]);
-      DALI_ENFORCE(fin.good(), "Failed to open file " + index_uris[i]);
+      const auto& path = index_uris[i];
+      auto uri = URI::Parse(path);
+      auto index_file = FileStream::Open(path);
+      auto index_file_cleanup = AtScopeExit([&index_file] {
+        if (index_file)
+          index_file->Close();
+      });
+
+      FileStreamBuf<> stream_buf(index_file.get());
+      std::istream fin(&stream_buf);
+      DALI_ENFORCE(fin.good(), "Failed to open file " + path);
       int64 pos, size;
       while (fin >> pos >> size) {
         indices_.emplace_back(pos, size, i);
       }
-      fin.close();
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/dali/util/file.h b/dali/util/file.h
index 8cf74e6893..4869e205fd 100644
--- a/dali/util/file.h
+++ b/dali/util/file.h
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #define DALI_UTIL_FILE_H_
 
 #include <cstdio>
+#include <streambuf>
 #include <memory>
 #include <string>
 #include <optional>
@@ -107,6 +108,33 @@ class DLL_PUBLIC FileStream : public InputStream {
   std::string path_;
 };
 
+/**
+ * @brief Custom streambuf implementation that reads from FileStream.
+ * @remarks It is useful to be used together with std::istream
+ */
+template <size_t BufferSize = (1 << 10)>
+class FileStreamBuf : public std::streambuf {
+ public:
+  explicit FileStreamBuf(FileStream *reader) : reader_(reader) {
+    setg(buffer_, buffer_, buffer_);  // Initialize get area pointers
+  }
+
+ protected:
+  int_type underflow() override {
+    if (gptr() == egptr()) {  // get area is exhausted
+      size_t nbytes = reader_->Read(buffer_, BufferSize);
+      if (nbytes == 0)
+        return traits_type::eof();
+      setg(buffer_, buffer_, buffer_ + nbytes);
+    }
+    return traits_type::to_int_type(*gptr());
+  }
+
+ private:
+  FileStream *reader_;
+  char buffer_[BufferSize];
+};
+
 }  // namespace dali
 
 #endif  // DALI_UTIL_FILE_H_