A 48-year-old man and his five female co-accused have appeared in the Durban Magistrates' Court on charges of selling houses that did not belong to them.
They’ll be back in court on the 14th of September.
Elias Muziwenhlanhla Cele has allegedly been scamming people all over the country since 2013 and was tracked down in East London where he was arrested at the weekend.
His co-accused are charged with helping him operate his scam across the country.
According to police, they would take out an advert in a local newspaper that his company was building houses at a reduced fee.
Cele, who is believed to be the mastermind would then defraud the unsuspecting clients and disappear after a deposit was made.
He was operating his fraudulent business in the Durban CBD, Pietermaritzburg and Kokstad and eventually moved to East London where he continued a similar operation.
Cele is also wanted for other cases committed in Ladysmith, Richards Bay, Newcastle, Berea, Amanzimtoti and Scottburgh.
Anyone who may have fallen victim to these scams is urged to contact their nearest police station.
According to the charge sheet, Cele and his co-accused stole an amount of R18 million over the seven years.
