Flying thief caught again at age 83

An aircraft is silhouetted against the moon as it flies over London September 12, 2008.

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - A notorious 83-year-old Hungarian thief with a criminal record dating back six decades, was caught by police Thursday at the scene of a break-in.

Kosztor Sandorne, dubbed "Flying Gizi" by Hungarian media, was arrested after she entered a house in Komarom, a town in the northwest.

Sandorne, who earned her nickname because she liked to flee her crime scenes by taking commercial flights, said she was in the house because she was trying to save money.

"At her hearing she said she wanted to find a cheaper lodging than in Budapest, where it is too expensive," a police spokeswoman told Reuters.

"Flying Gizi" has been convicted more than 20 times and first came to the attention of the police in the 1950s.

Her preferred method of travel is now rail rather than air, since train travel is free for pensioners in Hungary.

She was already under investigation for an alleged theft in Szentendre, a town near Budapest, before her latest detention.

The owner of the house in Komarom has not yet decided whether to press charges.

(Reporting by Sandor Peto; Editing by Nick Vinocur)