State run oil companies on Monday raised petrol and diesel prices by upto Rs 1.08 and Rs 1.20 per litre respectively, effective from midnight.

Petrol would cost Rs 32.70 per litre in Delhi as against the prevailing Rs 31.70 a litre while diesel prices have gone up from Rs 19.73 to Rs 20.73 per litre, official sources said.

In Mumbai, petrol prices would go up by Rs 1.08 a litre at Rs 37.74 as against the current price of Rs 36.66 per litre while diesel would be costlier by Rs 1.20 at Rs 26.23 against Rs 25.03 per litre.

In Kolkata, petrol would cost Rs 1.04 more at Rs 35.57 per litre as against the current price of Rs 34.53 and diesel would cost more by Rs 1.04 at Rs 22.94 a litre.

In Chennai, petrol price would go up by Rs 1.08 at Rs 35.71 per litre as against Rs 34.63 a litre while diesel would cost Rs 1.11 more at Rs 23.11 as against the prevailing Rs 22.00 per litre.

This hike came even as crude oil prices in the international market fell by more than 2.5 per cent on Monday on news of Saddam Hussein's arrest.

It is speculated that Iraq is likely to export more oil as Saddam's arrest may end sabotage of the country's production facilities and pipelines.

Repeated sabotage attacks on the pipeline, which carries oil from the Kirkuk fields to the Turkish Mediterranean have made it impossible for Baghdad to export crude and maximise oil revenues needed to fund its reconstruction, analysts said.