Sydney
New South Wales state police officers are seen at a corner near Lindt cafe in Martin Place, where hostages are being held, in central Sydney December 15, 2014Reuters

An Indian IT professional is among the hostages held by a gunman in a cafe in Sydney, according to Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu. 

"There is some information that one of our Indian IT professionals is among those held hostage in the cafe. The external affairs minister is in touch with authorities concerned and is trying to get more information,"  Naidu told the media.

Infosys, India's IT giant, confirmed that one of its employees was being held hostage in Sydney.

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

The Indian Consulate in Sydney was evacuated on Monday, after a gunman entered the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney's Central Business District at 9.40 am and took several hostages.

Follow Sydney Crisis live coverage here.  

"As a preventive measure in accordance with the local requirements, we have evacuated the staff from the Sydney Consulate building because it is located about 300-400 metres away from where this incident took place," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said. 

Security for the Indian cricket team, which is currently in Australia has been beefed up post the incident. 

"The security of the Indian team has been beefed up considerably. We have been informed by Cricket Australia that additional police forces have been deployed with the Indian team. We are happy with what CA has arranged," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told Press Trust of India.

Akbaruddin also tweeted about the contact details for Indian nationals in Australia in light of the hostage crisis. 

Also Read