New Delhi, Aug 25 - On an average 17 children went missing each day of 2008 in the capital, says a report submitted by a government-appointed rights body to the Delhi High Court, adding the police fail to 'react under the stipulated time period and over time the case becomes difficult to solve'.

The court is scheduled to hear the matter Wednesday.

The report by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) said: 'As soon as police come to know about missing children, they should inform the Missing (Persons') Squad, which will then inform the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and within 3-4 hours they should start the initial investigation. But the police have failed to adopt this procedure.'

The report by the statutory body states that section 63 of the Juvenile Justice Act makes it mandatory for police to report the case to the special juvenile police, who in turn have to inform the DCPCR, which also has a special missing children cell to look into such cases.