A hostage runs to police officers after she escaped from a cafe under siege in Sydney (Associated Press photo)
Helpline numbers have been set up for any information of Indian nationals after a gunman took an undisclosed number of people hostage at a Cafe in Martin Place in the heart of Sydney's business district.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin tweeted:
Earlier today, the Indian consulate in Sydney was evacuated in view of the hostage situation.
"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," Mr Akbaruddin said in New Delhi.
Mr Akbaruddin confirmed that all staffers at the consulate are safe.