Infosys on Monday confirmed that one of its employees is among the hostages being held by a gunman at the Lindt Café located in the heart of the financial and shopping district of Sydney, Australia. The central business district in Sydney has been evacuated and sealed off as the hostage crisis continued for over 11-and-a-half hours since early Monday morning.
Reports of a techie from Hyderabad's Infosys' campus is among the hostages in Sydney have sent shock waves here. Reports suggest that the techie, a senior project manager working for a multinational client in Sydney, hails from Guntur.
Though it confirmed the captivation of its employee, the company has not named him yet.
Andhra Pradesh Government had confirmed the name of the victim as Viswakanth Ankireddy.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy have asked the officials to get in touch with the family.
Infosys in a statement said “We are in the process of confirming the whereabouts of all our other employees in the city. And are in constant touch with the local authorities and the Indian Consulate in Sydney for updates on the situation on ground. The family of the employee being held hostage 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.”
Premier Baird and Commissioner Scipione at the 8:30pm news conference re: police operation in Martin Place
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— NSW Police (@nswpolice)
December 15, 2014Sydney crisis: Five of the hostages managed to run out of the café into the arms of tactically armed police, however, it is unclear as to how many hostages still remain inside the café. So far the number of hostages being held has been estimated at around 15-16.
The gunman has warned that there are bombs planted across the city spreading fear and panic among citizens. Two people inside the café were seen holding an Islamic flag raising fears as to whether the hostages were taken as an act of terrorism or whether it is a politically motivated act.