Mumbai — Indian equity benchmarks ended modestly higher Thursday, supported by gains in automobile, oil and gas, and consumer durable stocks, while investors remained cautious amid geopolitical tensions in West Asia. The Sensex rose 273.55 points, or 0.35%, to close at 77,928.15. The Nifty MidCap index declined 0.35%, while the Nifty SmallCap index fell 0.56%. The Nifty Auto, Nifty Oil & Gas and Nifty Consumer Durables indices outperformed, offsetting weakness in other sectors and supporting the headline indices. Trading remained largely range-bound as investors monitored developments in West Asia, limiting gains despite strength in select large-cap and sectoral stocks.