Infosys employee Viswakanth Akireddy coming out of the Lindt cafe in Sydney. (Associated Press)
Software major Infosys on Monday thanked the Australian authorities for their efforts in rescuing the hostages, which included one of their employees, held by a terrorist in a cafe in Sydney.
In a statement issued here, Infosys said: "We are grateful to the Australian authorities and New South Wales Police for their efforts to ensure the safe rescue of the hostages.
"We also thank the Indian Consulate (in Sydney) and the Ministry of External Affairs for their continuous monitoring and involvement in the situation, and everyone else who helped see us all through this ordeal."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," the statement added.
A 16-hour hostage crisis ended after police stormed a cafe in the heart of Sydney where an Iran-born cleric took some 30 people hostage and made several demands, sending shockwaves across the country.