The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are conducting investigations in order to locate Vasiljkovic, the Attorney-General's Department said in a statement.

AFP members on Thursday visited a house in Boambee near Coffs Harbour, owned by Vasiljkovic's friend Nada Lukich-Bruce, where Vasiljkovic had been living until recently.

Lukich-Bruce is a member of a group called Serbs for Justice and Democracy and she recently told reporters that here father, now deceased, had fought alongside Vasiljkovic. Lukich-Bruce regularly visited Vasiljkovic while he was in prison.

Reporters for The Australian daily on Thursday tried to talk with Lukich-Bruce, but she refused it, threatening to call the police.

Vasiljkovic, who lives in Australia under the name of Daniel Snedden, failed to appear in court on Tuesday when the High Court in Canberra made a ruling paving the way for his extradition to Croatia.

The police fear he is on the run.

The night before the court ruling was announced, he reportedly decided to return to his home in Coffs Harbour.

Vasiljkovic turned over his passport last month at the request of the court, when the hearing began. The media have reported that apart from Australian citizenship, he also holds Serbian citizenship.

The High Court on Tuesday upheld an appeal by the federal government and overturned a Full Federal Court ruling that Vasiljkovic could not be extradited to Croatia because he would not receive a fair trial as a result of his political beliefs.

In a strong rebuke to the Full Federal Court, the High Court's seven judges deliberated for about 15 minutes before overturning that decision.

Vasiljkovic, a former leader of Croatian Serb paramilitary forces, was arrested by the Australian Federal Police in January 2006 after an extradition request by Croatia.

Croatian authorities charge him with war crimes committed against captured Croatian soldiers and police in Knin and Bruska in February 1993.