Bangladesh has been ranked among the countries in South Asia which are less affected by organised crimes.

The four South Asian countries- Nepal (107), Bangladesh (97), India (90) and Sri Lanka (85), are among the group of the countries that have been less affected by organised crime as compared to Pakistan, according to data published by World Economic Forum.

Business in Pakistan bears the highest cost of organised crime while Singapore is the least affected country in the region, the WEF study said.

The organised crime takes heavy toll on business in Asia. In a data survey  by World Economic Forum of 140 countries, two most affected countries in the region are Pakistan and Philippines.

With the political instability in the country, Pakistan ranked 121 out of 140 countries has been a safe haven for criminals. It has been easy for the criminal gangs to operate in certain areas without fear of being hounded by the police. The conflict at the Afghanistan border has made the country vulnerable to organised crime as well.

Philippines (120) is the second most affected country  in the region with organised crime taking a toll on business operations. Illegal trafficking, drug mafia, extortion, loan sharking, corruption take a significant toll on business environment  in the country. Quenzen city has the highest number of crimes in the country followed by Manila and Cebu city.

Countries of the greater Mekong region like  Cambodia (101),Thailand (99) and Laos (77) are affected by organised crimes especially those related to human trafficking and prostitution. Migrant smuggling is one of the serious concerns in these countries that creates hurdles for establishing businesses.

Organised crime in India includes illicit financial flow, money laundering, betting, trafficking and murder among other offences. The Indian mafia or the 'underworld' has established itself as strong force in various places over the country. It was once ruling the country's financial capital, Mumbai.

In the group of lesser affected countries are Mongolia (59), Malaysia (44), and South Korea (40) among others.  Malaysia conducted a nation wide raid earlier this year against organised crime gangs. The country has a special task force to fight organised crime.  South Korea has stringent measures in place to fight organised crime which finds highest concentration in Seoul.

Businesses in Japan (20), Brunei (6) and Singapore  (3) are the least affected by organised crime.

Copyright: DataLEADS/ Asia News Network