The BSE benchmark Sensex which gained nearly 240 points in the previous two sessions, fell sharply by 219 points, or 1.19 per cent, to 18,106.99 in the first few minutes of trade on Monday. Stocks of metals, banking, IT, auto and realty companies were under pressure, dragging down the Sensex. The wide-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index slid by 69 points, or 1.26 per cent, to 5,417 points. In the Asian region, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed 1.73 per cent and Japan's Nikkei was trading 1.34 per cent down Monday morning. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.74 per cent lower in the previous session on Friday.