A Russian couple seen 'begpacking' with their baby in Indonesia have been deported, officials revealed yesterday.

Mikhail Bondarek, 30, and his partner Ekaterina, 28, were seen playing an accordion and singing. The mother had a young child in her arms and was swaying from side to side in time with the music.

Locals reported the couple after seeing them take donations from locals at the Kebon Roek Market on the island of Lombok on April 25.

They feared they were stranded and penniless on the popular tourist island due to the coronavirus.

Footage shows how they appeared to be resorting to 'begpacking' to earn money, a violation of local employment laws. Begpacking is a controversial form of begging that has become popular with young travellers who gather donations from locals to pay for their trips.

Officials in Lombok launched an investigation after video of the pair emerged and traced them to a guesthouse in the area.

Syahrifullah, Head of the Class I Immigration Office of Mataram, said that the parents and their baby were put on a boat on Sunday (May 3) and deported from Bali.

He said: ''The activities of the three foreigners disrupted public order, so administrative action was taken from immigration.

''We’re giving them leeway because we’re in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. If there’s no Covid-19 we would surely act more strictly.''

Syahrifullah said that officials found the two parents signing to passersby near the market. They were then taken to the Mataram Immigration office where a flight home was arranged for them.

He said the family's 9pm flight from Bali was directly managed by the Russian Embassy in Jakarta.