Mumbai, April 30 -- Equity benchmark indices tumbled on Thursday as surging crude oil prices, weak Asian cues and relentless foreign fund outflows battered investor sentiment. The Nifty slipped below the 24,000 mark, weighed down by banking stocks. Most sectoral indices ended in the red, with the Nifty IT index bucking the trend. Brent crude climbed to around $120 per barrel amid rising fears of supply disruptions linked to potential curbs on Iran's ports, fuelling inflation concerns in India. Global markets offered little support, pressured by elevated energy prices and uncertainty over the Federal Reserve's policy stance. Meanwhile, a sharp slide in the rupee to a record low added to the strain on domestic equities.

The S&P BSE Sensex ...