Vienna - Bosnian war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic travelled to Austria posing as a faith healer for local Serbs while evading capture, newspapers reported Friday.

Using the alias Pera, Karadzic treated several people in the Austrian capital Vienna, which has a large Serbian emigre community, the Kurier daily said.

Austrian security officials are investigating the reports, a spokesman for Austria's Interior Ministry said.

An unnamed woman in Vienna who was treated by Karadzic was quoted by Kurier as saying that she had long sought to have a child with her husband when an aunt told her about Pera and his healing powers.

Serb authorities arrested Karadzic on Monday in the capital Belgrade. He had been wanted since 1995 by the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague, whose
11-count indictment includes charges of genocide for the massacre of thousands of Bosnian civilians at Srebrenica. (dpa)