[Resolved]  ICICI Prudential Life Insurance — forcefully renewal of premium policy and breach on bank account security

I took health cum term insurance policy from icici prudential last year and then i left india.in abroad - those health benefits premium were not making sense to me as those were applicable for india only.

So i decide to not renew my health insurance. Through their prudential web application there is very hard to find surrender button but that doesn't work. They don't have any call number which domestic customer (But outside india at the moment) can use to call.

Somehow i managed to use application to register surrender message but guess what - after sending the message there is no way in system you can check to findout if you sent something or not.

Anyhow since this health/term insurance are subject to renewal on year to year basis (As they don't have lump sum return), i allowed the policy to lapse.

3rd may was renewal date and it lapsed on 3rd june. I got message from prudential that your policy has been lapsed and if you wish to renew then you can do so till certain period of time by paying some penalty charges of late payment. So far it was good as it was my choice.

Now 20 days later, i deposited some money into my icici account which was linked to policy (As it was all within icici portal) and guess what - next day premium along with late fee was deducted from my account.

And most important the moment i got alert - i called my bank (Icici) to say that this transaction has happened without my consent (It happened few minutes ago) as we do generally to report any such transaction so that our bank can help stop the transaction or initiate reverse of it but to my surprise they said that they can not do anything about it and i need to talk to prudential department on the matter. I kept complaining that guys forget for a second that it is your department - i am simply calling you to stop or reverse unauthorized transaction. Any way i got clear no from them.

Does banks have rights to allow our money without consent to be shuffled between their units forcefully?

Does prudential department have right to keep watching and withdraw money from my bank account forcefully on lapsed policy. Shouldn't lapsed means case closed? I know for sure had i gotten sick they would have said that your policy is lapsed and we wouldn't be able to pay your hospital bills.

Can they force someone with acts like above to renew the policy even when customer doesn't want to.

If they are not allowed to act like above then doesn't this case makes icici kind of scammer of money and should be criminalized? Afterall we are talking about breach of bank account security by bank itself and as consumer i am terrified by thoughts of it.

Please advise if what they have done is within their rights and justified?