Mumbai : The BSE benchmark index Sensex dropped further by 235 points in late morning trade on Monday due to profit booking from operators mainly in realty, capital goods and metal stocks in view of rising crude oil prices in the international market.

The barometer resumed higher at 17,975.19 but declined immediately to 17,746.60 points. It was quoted at 17,687.71 points, down by 235.86 points, or 1.32 percent at 1200 hrs on Monday.

The NSE 50-share Nifty also fell by 59.15 points or 1.09 percent to 5,370.15 in morning trade.

Major losers from the sensex pack were Larsen (3.74 pct), Hindalco (3.52 pct), DLF (3.37 pct), BHEL (3.01 PCT), Tata Steel (2.77 pct) and Hero Motocorp (2.57 pct).

However, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 8955.29 crore on last Friday as per provisional data from the stock exchanges.

Asian stocks were mixed in the early trade. Key benchmark indices in China, Hong Kong, and Japan were up by between 0.32 percent to 0.73 percent while indices in Singapore, South Korea and Indonesia fell by between 0.1 percent to 1.24 percent.