Markets plunge amid geopolitical tensions, erasing early gains in late morning trade.

Sensex drops 1,024.82 points (1.28%) to 78,776.61.

Nifty 50 falls 350.30 points (1.44%) to 23,896.40, slipping below the key 24,000 mark.

The sharp drop reflects profit booking by investors despite initial optimism.

Escalating tensions near the border weigh heavily on market sentiment.

The sell-off comes despite strong global cues and continued foreign institutional investor (FII) buying.