Even as the standoff at Lindt Cafe in Sydney's central business district ended with security forces storming the place, two Indians, including an Infosys employee Viswakanth Ankireddy, have escaped unhurt. After waiting for almost 12 hours, Australian police launched final assault on the cafe, where an armed terrorists had taken hostages around 20 people. At least two hostages have been confirmed to have died during the operation.
Ankireddy (35), who has been working with the Bengaluru-based tech company for the past eight years, was on a onsite posting to work with one of Infosys's clients in the financial services space. A native of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh and a product of Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani, Ankireddy has been in the country for past seven years, according to his father.
Speaking to Business Standard, Ankireddy's father, Eswar Reddy, had said earlier that Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu had spoken to him over telephone in the morning and assured him of all support in securing his son's release. Ankireddy's wife and daughter also stay with him in Sydney.
Infosys said they were awaiting for the final details from Australian authorities.
Earlier in the day, a suspected terrorist armed with weapons barged into a popular Cafe in Sydney and took at least 15 people hostage. Local media subsequently identified the gunman as Man Haron Monis, a self-proclaimed Islamic cleric of Iranian origin. Reports said the gunman had demanded an Islamic State flag and wanted to talk to Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
According to the report, the armed man had told the hostages that he had planted four bombs - two inside the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Martin Place and the others elsewhere in the central business district, Sky News channel reported quoting Network Ten.
Infosys has some 2,500 employees in Australia, including many in Sydney. Other major Indian IT companies that have large operations in that country are trying to get details of their employees and are working on contingency plans to ensure continuity of business.
"We are continuously monitoring the developments in Sydney. Our employees are safe and our business operations remain unaffected and continue as normal," Wipro said in a statement.
Similarly, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India's largest IT services company, said all its employees in the region are safe. "A travel and safety advisory has been issued to all employees in the region," the company said in an email statement.
An Indian software engineer who works for one of Australia's leading telecom services provider in Sydney said that when he reached office in the morning, he was surprised to see heavy security arrangements in and around the area. The buildings had restricted entry. Initially, the Australian police had suspended movement of trains in and around the area. "However, subsequently they relaxed it for some time and evacuated all the employees in the nearby buildings to safety," he said. "Our company has advised us to monitor the situation closely on Tuesday morning, and, if required, work from home," he added.
