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Bengaluru- headquartered Infosys Techie Among Hostages at Sydney Cafe

BANGALORE: An Infosys employee is among the hostages at a Sydney cafe, the IT company said on Monday.

"We can confirm that one Infosys employee is among the hostages at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney," the Bengaluru- headquartered company said.

"We are also in the process of confirming the whereabouts of all our other employees in the city. We are in constant touch with the local authorities and Indian Consulate in

Sydney for updates on the situation on ground," Infosys said  in a statement.

It said the employee’s family has been informed and "we are extending all possible support to them in this difficult time."

"We hope that this situation gets resolved peacefully and at the earliest. Our prayers are with the families of all involved," the statement added.

Earlier Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had said Indian origin IT professional may be among the hostages. He however clarified that the reports were unconfirmed.

"So far information says that people who were held hostages are safe, no harm is done to them. All these information here and there-- nothing has been confirmed about any citizens of our country is in that or not. It is a sensitive matter. I request all people to show restraint till the issue is resolved," Naidu said.

The Minister said whatever steps need to be taken are being taken.

Several people were taken hostage at a popular cafe in the heart of Sydney city in south-east Australia by one gunman this morning, leading to evacuation of important buildings, including the Indian consulate which is located 300-400 metres from the cafe.

An Islamic flag was also reportedly seen hanging from the window of the cafe.

The Indian Consulate in Sydney was evacuated in view of the hostage situation in a cafe near its premises and all the staff members are safe, the External Affairs Ministry today said.

In Sydney, Consul General Sunjay Sudhir told PTI that due to security concerns "we locked down our office at 12:00 PM and asked all our officers to go to places of safety".

He said that the Central Business District (CBD) where the cafe is located is the area where many Indian establishments including the SBI, Bank of Baroda and Indian tourism office are located.

"We are in touch with the security agencies and have asked them specifically if any Indians were present inside the cafe...they have not told us about the nationality," Sudhir said.